Indiana Jones and the Gypsy's Kiss
by primate
Summary: 1937 - Everyone's favorite archaeology professor embarks on a brand new adventure that spans four continents. From the depths of booby trap ridden Inca tombs to the magnificent temples of Upper Egypt and the valley of the Nile.
1. Into the tomb

1  
Into the Tomb  
  
1937   
Somewhere high in the Andes  
  
Indiana Jones glanced to his left, and in a fraction of a second, saw his death rushing to greet him. The deadly, weighted ball of spikes swooped out of the dark recesses, and into the narrow confines of the dimly lit stone corridor with such a velocity that it created a harsh, whistling tone. To Jones it was an unearthly sound, like that of a Banshee screaming out a welcome into the netherworld. He silently cursed himself for not having seen the odd, rectangular tile now depressed by his leather boot.  
  
But the poison tipped spikes, waiting and thirsting for human flesh for more than a thousand years, would have to wait a bit more. Jones wasn't quite ready to die yet.  
  
The archaeologist lunged to his right, a hair's breadth in front of the deadly booby trap, and evaded the vicious teeth with a margin of error defined by the punctures and tears in his leather jacket. He dropped his torch, tumbled into the small alcove in the side of the passageway and landed on his back, out of breath.  
  
For a brief moment he lay back and closed his eyes, overcome by the relief, and adrenaline rush that only such a close brush with mortality can bring. But the moment was indeed brief because the ancient Inca builders of the tomb of Prince Payahuatac had been cleverer than the twentieth century archaeologist who now sought to desecrate it.  
  
An instant later Indiana Jones flailed his arms helplessly as he tipped upside down, lost his balance, and slipped head first downward into a tunnel of death designed by the ancients for the unwitting who may have avoided the first trap.  
  
Darkness flooded his eyes and outcroppings of rock struck and pummeled his body as Jones hurtled down into a black abyss. He fought desperately to right himself, clawing outward with bloodied fingers, but found no handholds. The stone was smooth, almost polished, and to make matters worse, the further he fell, the wetter, and more slick the stone became, accelerating his passage into the unknown. Again and again he struck his head on bulging, obtuse portions of volcanic rock that protruded out from the tunnel walls. The few twists in the passage did little to slow his descent and the impact was bone jarring as the upside down archaeologist repeatedly bounced off the walls.  
  
By the time he reached the end he was dizzy, beaten, and barely conscious. There was a brief moment of free fall as the passage opened into a larger area, and then his limp body slammed into the muddy nadir of the tunnel with a firm but soft thud.  
  
For a long time he lay there, semi-conscious, oblivious to the damp darkness around him. Eventually he was awakened by the trickling sound of running water, and the unnerving feeling of something tugging at his pants leg. He was dizzy, groggy, and suddenly cold. He hurt all over.  
  
One by one he slowly checked each limb and body part for proper operation; wincing in pain several times, but satisfying himself that despite the rugged descent he was, amazingly, not too seriously hurt.  
  
A moment later a small set of paws darted across his face, leaving a tiny trail of slimy footprints. One little paw slipped into his mouth, its miniature claws scraping across his front teeth. A sudden sense of revulsion gripped Jones and shook him from his grogginess. He sat bolt upright, instinctively spitting out and groping into the darkness at the unseen.  
  
Reaching into his field pack he withdrew one of three magnesium flares that he had. He felt around himself in search of a dry hard surface upon which to strike it, but found only mud, and a series of slime coated poles that seemed to surround him on all sides.  
  
Now the tiny footsteps began to multiply, and several sets scurried back and forth across his legs. He reached down and swept his hand across. The back of his hand met wet fur. Revolted, he stood up and began to kick out with his feet. Small squeals and squeaks accompanied each strike of his boots as they found their little furry targets.  
  
Urgently now he groped around in the inky darkness for something, anything, dry enough to strike his flare on. But there was nothing; only the curious sets of poles that seemed to form almost a maze all around him. The darkness was complete, and swallowed him whole. The first pangs of panic began to creep over him.  
  
Jones took a step forward and his boot crunched down into something brittle. Probably some kind of pottery, he thought, angry that he might have just destroyed a valuable piece. Even in the extreme circumstances in which he now found himself his archaeological instincts were not lost. Then his boot encountered something metallic. He gently nudged at it. The distinct, raspy sound of metal scraping against metal echoed subtly in the dark. But there was something more to the sound than just that. There was an aged tone to the scraping, metallic ring; the distinct sound of things very old, and rusted.  
  
After finding nothing anywhere that was not covered in slime, Jones finally reached down to his hip and withdrew his .455 Webley handgun from its leather holster. He struck the flare on the side of the revolver's magazine and in an instant its brilliant white light replaced the inky blackness and illuminated his surroundings.  
  
Dozens of rats, startled by the sudden, brilliant light of the flare, scurried away and disappeared as if by magic, revealing a sight so horrific that it caused even the experienced eyes of Indiana Jones to widen. 


	2. Pit of Death

2  
Pit of Death  
  
Indiana Jones instinctively took a step back, bumping into yet another of the ubiquitous poles which surrounded him. He held his flare out. There on the muddy floor of the pit, lay multiple sets of human bones. Skeletons in various positions and agonized contortions were strewn about. At his feet lay a complete skeleton, the left side of its aged, brittle rib cage crushed a few moments ago by the archaeologist's own boot. Poking up through the center of the sternum was one of the numerous poles to be found all around. Indy traced his eyes up the seven foot tall pole to where it grew slender and terminated in a finely honed, sharpened point, as did all of them. In a moment he realized the sinister nature of the space into which he had been rudely deposited.  
  
It was a pit of impaling spikes, meant to cause an agonizing death to anyone unfortunate enough to fall in. Jones looked down at the spot where he, himself had just landed moments ago, and swallowed hard. He'd missed the spikes by inches on either side.  
  
"Luck of the Irish," he mumbled to himself with dark sarcasm.  
  
He looked down again at the bones of the individual who had apparently not been quite as fortunate as he had been. Lying not too far from one of the femurs was an ancient rusted sword, and the distinctly shaped helmet of a Spanish Conquistador, which explained the metal on metal sound.  
  
Indy bent down to pick up the sword. Despite the rust it was still in decent condition. But the helmet was rusted nearly through, eaten away by the passage of hundreds of years spent in the darkness of this pit of death.  
  
He raised his magnesium flare higher and illuminated more of the pit. It appeared to be a natural cavern, cleverly adapted to its diabolical purpose by the Inca tomb builders. Carefully he made his way through the maze of tall spikes. Stepping over the macabre sets of bones which littered its floor Jones reached the approximate center of the space, and looked up at the smooth rock of the ceiling.  
  
About seven or eight meters above him he could discern at least three or four tunnels, all of which terminated into the pit, probably from different locations throughout the tomb. Natural lava tubes Jones thought; the Incas once again making clever use of a natural feature. Then he lowered the flare and studied the walls more closely. They were of the same, smooth volcanic rock as the ceiling. They were smooth, and inwardly concave, and to try and climb up would be impossible, unless one were a fly. However, the far wall appeared to be man-made, and he hastened towards it, hopeful of finding a way out. The rats had to have run to somewhere, he thought to himself, and maybe he could go the same way.  
  
Picking his way between the spikes and amongst the bones, he made his way to the far wall. It was indeed man made. And like most examples of Inca stone work it was a wonder of intricately matched, jigsaw puzzle pieces of large and small stones, matched so closely that it would be nearly impossible to fit even a knife blade between them.  
  
He held the flare close up against it, and felt along the seams of the nearly seamless wall all the way down. There, at the bottom were two small arches, maybe six inches in height. He moved his flare closer to the small openings to get a better look.  
  
"To let the rats through," Jones answered his own silent question out loud.  
  
It wasn't bad enough to die on the spikes, he thought with revulsion. But to ensure the complete suffering of the victims, the Incas who had designed this death chamber had made sure that even the dead or dying would have no rest, and would be picked apart and devoured by the hungry vermin that these small holes in the wall allowed passage to.  
  
He again raised his flare up. This small section of Inca stonework was indeed the only man made section of wall in this cavern of death. And with no way to ascend back up to the tunnels above it was apparent that these small passages at the bottom were the only exit  
  
Unless he could figure out a way for a six foot man to squeeze through a six inch hole......... Jones swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a moment to allow a momentary surge of claustrophobic panic to pass.  
  
Looking to his right he saw yet another set of skeletal remains. But there was something different about these. He bent towards them and held his now diminishing flare outward.  
  
This skeleton had none of the sinister spikes thrusting up through its remains. Instead it was positioned close to one of the small "rat passages" in the stone wall. The white skull, luminous in the bright light of the flare, rested despairingly upon the extended forearm bones. A short distance from the skull was another conquistador style helmet. Another Spaniard Jones thought. Another who came in search of gold, but instead found only death.  
  
He swallowed hard again and his heart began to race as he studied the forlorn looking skeleton. It was apparent that this Spaniard had landed between the spikes, and survived his fall into the pit just as he had. But it was just as apparent that this Spaniard had never found his way out, and had probably starved to death, slowly, in total darkness, the rats nibbling on his weakening body as his life slowly ebbed away........too slowly. A chill ran up Indiana Jones' spine, and a lump of bitter tasting fear rose in his throat at the thought that this might be his own fate.  
  
He closed his eyes and did his best to shake off the pangs of fear and panic before they could take hold, then studied the figure some more. Close by to the leg bones was another old rusted sword. Then he noticed something he hadn't seen before. He lowered the flare down towards the figure's bony hand and saw something held in its dead grasp. It was a folded parchment.  
  
Indy reached down and endeavored to pull the document from between the fingers. But the bony digits were reluctant to let go. He pulled harder until the Spaniard finally gave up his last possession, one he'd held on to far longer than his own life. The ancient thumb bone broke off with a crisp, cracking noise and rolled away, and the brittle, waxy, old paper slipped easily into the archaeologist's hand.  
  
The flare was now burned down almost to the end and Jones could feel its heat on his fingers. Wanting to preserve the light as long as possible, he kneeled down and placed the flare carefully atop the skull of the Spaniard where it could burn itself all the way to the end.  
  
"Sorry Senor," He said in a genuine apology to the dead man.  
  
He then slowly and carefully unfolded the parchment. Some portion of the edges crumbled as he opened it, but it was of a heavy, hammered, type of paper, and most of it held together despite the aged, crackling sounds it made as its folds were tested again for the first time in centuries.  
  
Jones studied it carefully, quickly discerning that it was a map. It was a hand drawn map that displayed a mix of crudely drawn physical features together with exquisitely etched examples of fine Inca artwork. It was obvious that more than one hand had contributed to its creation. Here and there what appeared to be notes in Spanish had been scripted in. Jones traced his finger along lines that had been drawn hundreds of years ago with good Spanish indigo.  
  
"Via Del Dios," He read the words from one of the many notes on the old map, paused, and then translated the Spanish into English, "Path of God".  
  
His voice echoed in the stale air of the cavern, reflecting off the smooth, damp walls; the same walls that had probably listened with stony indifference to the prayers, laments, and finally the last mad gasps of tortured souls who had perished in unimaginably slow agonies.  
  
His fingers traced along another line on the wrinkled old map, this one written in black.  
  
"Via Del Diablo," He pursed his lips and furrowed his forehead, before once again translating the Spanish to English..., "Path of the Devil".  
  
He continued to study the old Spanish map in silence for a few more moments, until the flare sputtered, sparked, and then went dead.  
  
A glowing ember remained where the skull bone of the Spaniard had begun to burn from the heat of the flare, but that quickly went out as well, and once again Indiana Jones found himself in a sea of total darkness, sealed within an Inca death pit, somewhere in the bowels of the tomb of Payahuatac.  
  
Tiny footsteps, squeaks, and squeals announced the return of the rats, emboldened by the return of the darkness.  
  
Jones felt in his pack for his two remaining flares. 


	3. Rats

3  
Rats  
  
The return of the darkness brought also the return of claustrophobic fear for Indiana Jones. He could almost feel the inky blackness closing in on him like a suffocating cloak; a palpable, smothering presence. The very real fear that this Inca death chamber that had coldly claimed the lives of past tomb robbers would also be his final resting place gave him not only a sad sense of doom, but also a moment of reflection.  
  
Was that all that he was? ...Just another tomb robber? Did he maybe, after all, deserve such a fate as this? Had he not asked for this, and indeed barely escaped it, many, many times already?  
  
It wasn't the first time Indiana Jones had questioned his motives, morals, and chosen line of work. But usually it was in the comfortably cramped confines of his office on the campus of Barnett College, surrounded by the many artifacts and oddities that cluttered its minimal shelf space; artifacts, oddities, and treasures gathered from beneath the four corners of the earth. Often times Dr. Henry Jones jr., Professor of Archaeology, a.k.a. Indiana Jones, Procurer of Rare Antiquities, had questioned the morality of violating the graves and sacred places from which so many of his finds and treasures had been taken.  
  
So what madness was it that drove him to seek out such places as this? Would it not be better to just leave the Death Mask of Payahuatac where it was; placed carefully atop his sarcophagus so many centuries ago by the slaves who were buried alive within the tomb along with their master?  
  
They hadn't a choice......he had. And yet here he was about to share their same fate. Jones had no doubt that some of the bones around him probably belonged to some of those unfortunate slaves who had fallen into the tunnels of death in their frantic search for a way out, after the tomb was sealed by the High Priests.  
  
But Indiana Jones already knew the answer to all of the questions that raced through his mind. He'd answered them all many times before. Besides, the darkness that flooded his eyes now choked even his thoughts, projecting only the deeply rooted urge to survive to the forefront of his consciousness.  
  
As he carefully folded and placed the Spaniard's map into his leather satchel, the archaeologist instinctively groped for another of his two remaining flares. His hand fumbled around for a few moments before locating the slender magnesium flare by sense of touch. He quickly withdrew it, felt for the strike side, and once again drew his Webley from its holster. However, before he could strike the light giving rod on the hand gun's magazine he abruptly stopped.  
  
Two flares left.  
  
The thought was sobering, and caused him to realize that if he were going to find some way out of his current predicament he would need to make the wisest possible use of his meager supply of the suddenly precious commodity of light. It could not be wasted. He silently cursed himself for having dropped his torch above in the main passage. He needed to think before he acted. He needed some kind of plan  
  
But there was none, and all that came to his thoughts was the hopeless impossibility of his situation.  
  
There was no way out.  
  
Sealed inside.  
  
Two flares left.  
  
No way out.  
  
The thoughts went round and round in his head like some kind of mental merry-go-round of hopelessness . He dropped down low to the ground and edged over towards the two rat holes at the bottom of the stone wall. The trickling sound of running water could be heard. Instinctively he moved his face closer, trying hard to inhale the air from the other side, as if the act of simply breathing air from outside of this death chamber would set him free from it. But the vision of the prone skeleton of the Spaniard, in the same position as he was now, suddenly interrupted his thoughts and Jones quickly stood back up with a shudder  
  
He took a moment to compose himself there in the pitch blackness. If there was a way out, he would find it. But he needed to keep his cool and think with the rational part of his brain, not the part ruled by fear.  
  
After several deep breaths he ran his hands down along the surface of the wall. At the bottom he again found the small rat holes and felt along them. He felt carefully along the arch stones, grasping and groping for any signs of looseness. But the elongated lintels were as tightly in place as the day the Inca builders had set them; maybe even tighter due to the years of settling. Jones did find a small fissure in the left hand side lintel stone. It was a small crack due to age and pressure, but it was barely wide enough to allow a piece of paper, and certainly nothing that would weaken it significantly.  
  
Inadvertently his hand went to the skull of the Spaniard. He felt along its bony surface, his fingers scraping past the shallow impression burned by his flare.  
  
His hands probed around until they located the old rusted sword of the conquistador, and his helmet. These he picked up and placed next to himself, not knowing why, since they certainly could be of no use to him in his present predicament.  
  
A rat scurried closely by and brushed up against his hand. Jones struck out at it instinctively. The creature answered back with a defiant, raspy, squeal. The wet little footsteps began to multiply again, and another of the disgusting vermin brushed up against his pants leg.  
  
He took another deep breath and thought hard, racking his brain for some idea, some way out of this pit of despair and death into which his quest for the golden Mask of Payahuatac had deposited him.  
  
There were only two ways out as far as the archaeologist could see. The first was back up through the lava tubes above. But that seemed impossible since there was no way to reach them. His hand felt along his belt for the handle of his leather bullwhip. The trusted old friend, coiled and hitched to his belt, had gotten him out of jams before, but not here. There was no way it could reach that far, and besides, even if it could, there was nothing on the smooth volcanic stone above for its leather tip to grasp on to. Jones had a twenty-five foot length of good hemp rope coiled inside his pack also, but unless he could suddenly master the old 'Indian rope trick' it didn't appear that it would be of any use either.  
  
He nervously fingered the magnesium flare in his satchel, resisting the temptation to strike it; if only just to drive the rats away. Their squeaks and squeals, and the patter of their little paws on the muddy floor were beginning to unnerve him again; not to mention the fact that they probably looked upon him as a fine delicacy that they couldn't wait to sink their filthy, rodent incisors into.  
  
The only other possible way out would be through the stone wall. But how? The only openings were the small rat holes. The wall was of the finest Inca stone work, its edges melded into the natural volcanic walls of the chamber with seamless precision. Actually it was more a door than a wall. The stonework measured roughly five feet in width by five feet in height. Despite pushing and probing along the entire surface, Jones could find no weaknesses or loose stones.  
  
He felt his hands around and picked up the conquistador's rust-eaten old broadsword again. In frustration he swung it blindly at the wall's stony face. A bright spark threw a brilliant flash of light for the smallest fraction of a second as the metal of the blade struck the cold, heartless stone. Jones was surprised at the strength still left in the old blade. He would have expected it to shatter. But it was a futile gesture. Dejectedly, he threw the useless weapon to the ground. A shrill, rodential, shriek attested to a lucky shot. Or was it luck? Just how many vermin now surrounded him, licking their vile little chops? He once again fingered the magnesium flare.  
  
After a few more moments standing there in total darkness and dejection, listening to the increasing patter of little footsteps accompanied by the squeaks and squeals of their owners, a light bulb lit; .....Not literally, but rather of the mental variety.  
  
With sudden clarity, an idea sprang forth in the mind of Indiana Jones, and it re-energized him.  
  
Sure, why not? Jones had seen it done many times. What else could he do anyway? To sit in cold darkness and despair, waiting to die and be eaten by rats was not in Indiana Jones' playbook.  
  
He would make it work. He would have to, because he knew in his heart that it was probably the ONLY way out of this hellish, vermin infested death pit.  
  
But he couldn't do it alone. He would need help.  
  
He would need the help of the dead.  
  
Those unfortunate souls from times long past, whose bones littered the ground around him would now need to come to the aid of this archaeologist who didn't want to join them in their final resting place.  
  
Indiana Jones hoped they wouldn't mind. 


	4. Pyre of Forsaken Souls

4  
Pyre of Forsaken Souls  
  
Timing.  
  
Jones knew it would be a matter of timing. And he would have to do it right. He would have to balance the best use of the light with the amount of time the flare would burn considering how long it would take for the bones to catch fire. Before, when he'd set the magnesium flare on the skull of the Spaniard it hadn't taken long for it to catch. He was confident he could get a fire going without having to use both of the remaining flares. At least he hoped it would take only one. There were certainly plenty of bones scattered about, but would it be enough fuel to keep a fire burning long enough?  
  
But again, it would be a matter of timing.  
  
In the darkness Indy felt down the wall again to the rat holes. He felt along the bottom of the small arch on the left, and its elongated stone lintel. There! There it was. The crack. Sure it was just slightly wider than a slice of paper, but it was long, and Jones knew that it probably ran deep. Thankfully for him the Inca builders had used low quality limestone for the stones in this wall instead of the more durable granite to be found throughout most of the rest of the tomb.  
  
He ran his finger along the crack several times. A feeling of hope resurged inside him. Like a man lost at sea clutching on to a bit of flotsam he rubbed his finger back and forth along the length of the small crack that just might save his life.  
  
But it was time to act. He took just a few more moments to go over in his mind the tasks to be done, and the order in which to do them. Then he tightly gripped the magnesium flare in his right hand and struck it on the magazine of his Webley which he held in his left.  
  
Once again the gloomy, fetid, darkness of the death chamber was displaced by the brilliance of a flare. Once again Jones watched the startled rats, seemingly twice as many as before, flee out through their small holes. Hundreds of beady little eyes, grown so accustomed to darkness, were in an instant temporarily blinded, and they ran away from the brilliant luminescence as if scorched by a flame. Jones held tightly to the flare, its powerful light and flame now representing nothing less to him than his own life.  
  
He acted quickly. The first thing he did was re-locate the sword of the conquistador. This he set down close to the wall. Next he picked up the slender radius and ulna bones of the unfortunate Spaniard. Here he paused for a moment to make the sign of the cross. Regardless of his own religious beliefs Jones knew that the Spaniard would probably appreciate the gesture.  
  
"...The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost," he mumbled softly as his hand went from his forehead, to his chest, and then each shoulder in turn.  
  
"Muchas Gracias, and forgive me Amigo." He placed his flare down on the Spaniard's bleached, white skull as he had before. The small hole that the first flare had burned into the bone made for a convenient, though macabre, holder for this second one.  
  
He then picked up the sword, placed the bones against a small natural outcropping of rock from the cavern wall and struck hard. He struck again, and again. The bones shattered but he was careful to pick up each and every one of the small shards. He continued to chop and break the bones up into smaller pieces, glancing now and then over at the burning flare to gage the amount of time he had to perform his task. He wanted to avoid using the third flare if he could help it.  
  
After he had finished breaking up the forearm bones into small pieces he reached over for the humerus bone. This too he broke up. The process was then repeated with the bones of the other arm of the dead Spanish conquistador.  
  
Within a few minutes Jones had a sizeable amount of small, broken bone shards arrayed in front of him which he gathered together into a loose pile. He cast a wary eye over towards the burning flare again. It made for a rather ghoulish picture, the brightly burning flare sitting atop the leering, white skull while flickering shadows of light and dark danced in its empty eye sockets.  
  
Gathering up the pile of bone shards the archaeologist placed them carefully under the cracked lintel of the rat hole, arranging them as one would arrange tinder for a campfire. A campfire for the dead, Jones thought to himself with dark, mirthless humor.  
  
And now came the crucial point in the process.  
  
Pulling the burning flare from its macabre holder, Jones placed it directly into the center of the small pile of bone tinder.  
  
His doubts about whether or not it would catch were quickly resolved as the remains of the Spaniard caught fire almost immediately from the concentrated heat of the magnesium flare. With slight popping and crackling the bone shards began to burn. Jones allowed himself a slight smile of satisfaction, but there was still much to do, and he had to act fast.  
  
Reaching for more bones, any bones, He picked up the conquistador's sword again and went back to work. Femurs, tibias, fibulas, ribs and pelvis all were rapidly turned into unrecognizable shards and fed into the growing fire beneath the rat-hole's arch. With the increasing size of the fire Indy was able to feed larger and larger pieces of bone into it.  
  
Eventually the effort of his exertions began to tire him and despite the coolness of the cavern, he began to break a sweat. He put down the sword and pulled off his fedora. He wiped away the droplets of moisture and pushed back the locks of light brown hair that matted to his forehead. Then he used his hat to further fan the flames of his fire.  
  
The fire had now fully caught, and was beginning to burn well enough for him to perform his next task; the rather gruesome one of collecting up more fuel for the flames. But it had to be done, and quickly. He fed a few more large pieces of bone into the fire and then turned around.  
  
The flickering flames cast sinister shadows of sharpened spikes that danced and darted about on the dark volcanic rock of the cavern's walls as he moved amongst the scattered remains on the floor of the pit. The light from the fire was sufficient for the task and Jones moved efficiently between and among the deadly spires, collecting the bones of the many victims and carrying them over to the fire under the rat hole. Just as important as the light for him was the fact that the fire kept the rats at bay as well.  
  
Within minutes he had assembled quite a pile of bones beside his now crackling popping blaze. The fire started to burn hotter, and he could now feed whole, unbroken pieces of bone into it. All of them burned brightly together, Spaniard and Inca alike, their discarnate souls uniting in an eerie pyre, reaching out across centuries to help Indiana Jones escape from a terrible fate. It was a fate that they themselves had not been able to escape, and Jones hoped that the bones remembered, and would burn hot for him.  
  
But he knew that the chances of success were slim, perhaps even none. Nonetheless it was the only hope that he had. The technique of splitting stones by heating and cooling was one that had been used for millennia by all cultures that worked with stone construction. From the mysterious stone idols of Easter Island to the great monuments of Egypt, countless giant blocks of stone had been cut from quarries using the same technique.  
  
He didn't need to build a pyramid, he just needed to split one twenty-five inch long lintel stone that was already cracked; surely it could work. If the stone would split and he could knock it out, then there were at least two other stones that he could see that would most probably loosen enough that he could knock them out as well, giving him enough room to wiggle through to freedom on the other side. But it all depended on the heat of his fire. He needed to keep it burning, keep the heat flowing up into the small crack. He needed to expand the crack, even if by just a few millimeters, it might be enough to split it.  
  
He fed more bones into the fire, leaned back against the cavern wall and closed his eyes for a moment. He began to realize his level of exhaustion, the events of the past hour had been taxing, but he resisted the urge to doze, he knew he could not afford to fall asleep and let the fire die. 


	5. Treasure of the Incas

5  
Treasure of the Incas  
  
Jones had managed to put the fear and dread of being entombed forever in this death chamber into a corner of his mind that he could close the door on, at least for a time. Right now fear would not serve him any purpose. Right now he needed to concentrate on the task at hand. If he failed to split the stone, and get out of this death chamber, then that would be the time for fear and dread, but until then he would keep the fear locked up, and replace it with hope. It was all he had; that and one more flare.  
  
He threw another piece of a pelvic bone on to the fire before reaching into his leather pack and pulling out the old map again. He needed to distract his mind as the slow process of heating the stone continued.  
  
Jones sat back against the wall of the cavern and unfolded the map. The glow of the fire provided a gently flickering, vibrating light which illuminated the old parchment with a warm incandescence. Indeed the scene would be almost cozy, if not for the perilous and bizarre circumstances.  
  
He smoothed the map out on his legs and began to trace his finger along the drawings, lines, and writings which covered its surface. The first thing that struck him was that the map had more than one author, possibly even several. Crude drawings of physical features indicating mountains, rivers, and valleys, contrasted with finely etched artwork in the Inca style. He recognized the figure of a winged 'chasqui', an Inca runner or courier. There was an etching of the hero Naymlap, with his rainbow head dress, as well as drawings of bird men, and others. To Jones' archaeological eye, the drawings didn't seem to be drawn as simple ornamentation. The figures appeared to serve some purpose, though what it was he couldn't quite tell yet.  
  
One figure caught his eye more than the others. It was the largest drawing on the map. It was circular and was obviously intended to represent the sun. The Spanish writing scrawled beside it left no doubt. El Disco del Sol......  
  
Jones set the map aside for a few moments as he fed the now voraciously consuming flames some more fuel from his stack of bones. He rather unceremoniously broke a pair of femurs across his knee and pushed the four large bone fragments into the center of the fire, followed by a skull, minus jaw bone. He'd already hardened himself to his task, and felt nothing as he went about the gruesome business. Deep in his heart he knew that the spirits of these dead welcomed the chance to finally escape from this death pit; even if their escape was as smoke, smoke which curled upward and out through the lava tubes above.  
  
He sat back down and studied the map again. "El Disco del Sol......the Disc of the Sun," he read aloud, translating the Spanish words.  
  
The legendary Disc of the Sun, perhaps the greatest treasure of all, of an empire with more treasures than maybe any on earth. Indeed the glut of gold that Pizzarro and his conquistadors found when they arrived in the Andes seemed to drive them almost to madness. They committed the most heinous crimes and depredations against the Inca peoples in their insatiable lust for the precious metal.  
  
One of the worst crimes of course was their treacherous betrayal and murder of the Inca Emperor Atahualpa. Through perfidy and deception the Spanish had captured the Inca ruler, and held him in the city of Cajamarca. Atahualpa, knowing of their lust for gold, offered to fill the entire room in which his captors held him with gold in exchange for his release. The Spaniards agreed, but after the ransom was paid in full, the treacherous conquistadors, rather than release him as they had agreed, instead condemned him to death.  
  
Jones absently fed more bones into the flames as he recounted in his mind the tragic story of Atahualpa and the fall of the Inca Empire. The fire was burning hotter now, the embers glowed a bright orange-red.  
  
In Cuzco, Atahualpa's first wife, the Queen gathered a second ransom in hopes of saving her husband. Eleven thousand llamas, each carrying one hundred pounds of gold, were dispatched from the Inca capital. But before the convoy reached Cajamarca the Queen consulted the Black Mirror, a supposed magic mirror in the Temple of the Sun in Cuzco. It foretold of the murder of her husband. The horrified Queen immediately ordered the convoy of gold, as well as all of the golden treasures of Cuzco, to be hidden away in caves in the mountains.  
  
Among this vast horde of gold was the famous Disc of the Sun. El Disco del Sol was a massive plate of purest gold, encrusted thickly with emeralds and other gems of superb size and quality. It was kept at the Temple of the Sun in Cuzco, where, at dawn, the sun's rays fell directly onto the disc in the temple chamber. There it reflected a dazzling golden light on to the walls and ceilings, themselves adorned with gold, in what was the most sacred and spectacular of all the Inca temples.  
  
It must have been a magnificent sight, Jones thought as he set the map and his musings on the wonders of the Incas aside for a few moments to feed more fuel into his fire. The bones were now more than half consumed. The fire burned hot, and the glowing body of embers cast a formidable amount of heat up into the crack of the lintel stone. But Indy still wasn't sure he was accomplishing anything more than just giving these poor wretches a decent cremation. Only time would tell. He forced his anxiety to pass and went back to the map. Fingers and eyes again traced along its etchings, writings, and lines.  
  
Via del Dios, Jones read from the map.  
  
"The Way of God...Path of God?" he spoke aloud as he traced his finger along.  
  
He averted his eyes from the map for a moment and gazed into the flames of the fire, his brows narrowed in thought.  
  
"Path of God... up. Upwards, toward God. Up... up a mountain maybe?" Jones talked to himself as he endeavored to discern some of the cryptic writings.  
  
His eyes went back to the map, Via del Diablo.  
  
"Via del Diablo... Path of the Devil." He read, and then looked away from the map again, "Down? Down into the earth? A cave maybe?"  
  
He threw more fuel on to the fire.  
  
The Disc of the Sun was more than just a legend. It was real. It was well documented by the earliest Spaniards who visited Cuzco and saw the magnificent disc with their own eyes. But in 1531, it, along with the rest of the fabulous horde of Inca treasure was hidden away by the Queen when she saw that no amount of gold would quench the salacious thirst of the Spaniards. To avenge the murder of her precious husband she would have the satisfaction of denying the Spaniards that which was most precious to them. This vast Inca treasure has never been found.  
  
Inca treasure maps had surfaced before in the world of Archaeology, but they had always proven to be nothing more than frauds; often times very poor frauds. The treasure was real, but the maps were not. So why did Indiana Jones think that he might now hold in his hand a document that could very well be authentic, and hinted at the lost treasure?  
  
For the next hour and a half Jones alternately tended his fire, and studied the map. He kept the fire burning hot and bright beneath the lintel stone, while the images and writing on the map fired his imagination and curiosity.  
  
He translated what he could from the Spanish writing which was haphazardly scribbled here and there. It was almost as if the Spanish was written on to it later, after it had been first drawn by other hands, perhaps Inca hands.  
  
El Pala--- -e la --ina, Jones squinted as he read one Spanish inscription that was partially obscured, trying in his mind to fit in missing letters. He turned the map sideways to try and get a better look at the letters but could not make it out. So he moved on to others.  
  
"El valle de los siete vientos... Valley of the seven winds. El valle del sol...Valley of the sun," he read on as his finger traced around the old parchment studying its details and translating the Spanish where it was written. After a while his fatigue caught up with him and he put the map away, back into his leather satchel. He stared for a long time into the fire, then laid his head back against the cavern wall and allowed himself a moment to close his eyes.  
  
"El Palacio de la Reina...The Palace of the Queen!" he opened his eyes and exclaimed loudly after a few minutes. But after a moment's exultance at figuring out the obscured Spanish writing he'd been reading before, the gravity of his situation once again presented itself. He continued to tend his fire with the now dwindling supply of bones. It would not be long now until he would know if his fire had achieved its purpose.  
  
The passage of another hour found Indiana Jones finally feeding the very last of the bones into the fire. The final addition was the leering skull of a long forgotten victim; an Inca slave maybe, or a Spaniard, or perhaps a more recent victim, maybe an archaeologist or treasure hunter who'd entered the tomb in search of Payahuatac's golden Death Mask, just as he had. The thought was not a pleasant one.  
  
He watched as the flames engulfed the skull, soon to turn its perpetual grin to ashes. Jones could only hope that it was enough; enough heat to expand the small crack and split the lintel stone.........for him it was the difference between life and a slow death.  
  
The strange thought occurred to him that if he were not able to escape the death chamber he now would not have even the company of the bones of its past victims for solace. The idea of such an utterly lonely death sent a slow chill up his spine. He knew too that as the fire died down, and then out, so too would the light turn back to darkness. The rats would return.  
  
The time was now.  
  
He picked up the conquistador's sword, which had served him so well thus far, and swung it at the lintel stone, still hot from the burning fire. The sword bounced off of the stone with a loud clang, and the vibration stung his hand. He ignored the jolt of pain and struck again, and then again, and again, and again. He swung the sword like a madman, like a man possessed, like a man who knew that to succeed was to live, to fail was to die. He swung harder, and harder, putting his back into every blow, using every ounce of strength in his tired muscles. His arms ached, but he still struck at the unyielding stone with every ounce of energy in his body.  
  
The clanging sound of metal on stone reverberated and echoed off the dark walls of the cavern in a deafening cacophony. As much as the light of the flare had startled the rats before, this dissonant and caustic assault on their little rodent ears drove them even further away from the pit; a pit of death where a desperate man now fought a furious and frantic battle for nothing less than his own survival.  
  
But before Jones' strength would give out, the sword did. The four hundred year old weapon could take no more. The blade broke off close to the handle and spun away into the darkening recesses of the cavern. In the flickering light of the fading fire Jones found himself staring at a handle, with about two inches of broken blade, clutched in his hand. For a moment he stared at it in mute silence, before sitting back down in defeat.  
  
The last flames of the fire were dying out now, their embers cooling. The darkness slowly encroached back into the pit.  
  
Would the rats be far behind? 


	6. Escape From Darkness

6  
Escape from Darkness  
  
Indiana Jones didn't know how long he had slept. It had been stress, fatigue, and hopeless depression that had rendered him unable to resist the urge to lie down and surrender to unconsciousness. But it was sharp, acute pain which awakened him.  
  
He sat up, cursed out loud, and winced at the pain in his thumb. Something was biting him. He instinctively jerked his hand back, surprising a rodent who thought he was finally getting his dinner. The pitch black darkness had returned and Jones felt his hands around in all directions, still disoriented from his unconsciousness. Everywhere he touched his hands felt nothing but soft furry bodies. He was awash in the filthy creatures.  
  
Panic and disgust jolted him like an electric shock. Without even thinking he reached into his satchel for his last flare. A moment later he struck it on the Webley and once more bathed his wretched surroundings in dazzling light.  
  
The sight of so many rats sickened him. Dozens of vermin carpeted the floor of the pit. As before the rats instantly fled the light. Like little, evil demons they scurried over one another in their rush to get away from the light of the flare, which Indiana Jones wielded like some kind of staff of righteousness. Almost as one being, the horde of vermin poured out of the chamber through the small rat holes in the Inca stonework. Jones could only envy them.  
  
In a few moments they were gone, again. But Indy knew that it was the last time he could pull that off.  
  
Shuffling over to the stone wall again, he stared mutely at the cracked lintel stone, which stared back with invisible eyes. The trick hadn't worked. The fire hadn't widened the crack enough. And now, as Jones sat there with his last flare burning down, his heart sank to its lowest. And then anger erupted in him.  
  
With sudden violence he kicked out at the stone. He sat down on the floor of the pit, braced himself with his hands, and kicked at the stone with every bit of strength he could muster. His boot delivered blow after blow. Fueled by 'fight or flight' adrenaline, and flight wasn't an option, he kicked at the stone nearly hard enough to break his own limb.  
  
Eventually though, even the adrenaline fuel ran dry. Jones stopped kicking and lay back on the floor of the chamber, his chest heaving in and out. He was spent. He was done.  
  
The rats would feed on his dead carcass, or worse, devour him alive.  
  
And then he heard it.  
  
'CLINK'  
  
It wasn't loud but it was distinct, crisp, and clear. And it was soon followed by another. 'CLINK'  
  
Indiana Jones cocked his ear and listened intently.  
  
'CLUNK!'  
  
With an abrupt suddenness, half of the lintel stone broke free from the wall and clunked down onto the floor of the pit. Jones just stood there for a moment and gaped at the sight. Maybe it had just needed time to cool and contract, he thought, through his euphoria at the sight of the broken stone. Then he rushed at it.  
  
He grabbed hold of the heavy stone and pulled it out of the now enlarged archway. Setting his flare down atop the broken piece he grasped hold of one of the stones above the empty socket just vacated. Jones pulled hard and was rewarded by not only the removal of that stone, but two others which fell out, one of them landing with a thud on his foot. But he didn't even notice if it hurt. Nor did he care. He'd just opened a two foot by three foot passage through the wall.  
  
Holding his dwindling flare out ahead of him Jones wiggled easily through the opening he'd created. Once through he stood up straight and viewed his new surroundings. The exhilaration he felt at having finally escaped from the death pit was tempered by the realization that it was still possible that he may not be able to find his way out of the tomb.  
  
He was in another subterranean room but one much larger than the death pit. The trickling sound of running water was louder here, and Jones moved toward it. It wasn't very far and he quickly came upon it after rounding a small turn in the cavern. It was an underground stream. He had a momentary urge to scoop up a handful of its clear, cold water and quench his thirst, but resisted it, the image of a thousand rats crawling through the stream giving him pause.  
  
He followed the water upstream, reasoning that the source must be higher ground, and higher ground meant up. Up, he hoped, meant out. The stream wound upwards for several yards until coming to a small falls, the water tumbling down from an opening in the ceiling of the cavern. Indy held his flare up towards this opening. It was man made; more Inca stonework. The ceiling was low here, and the opening was large enough for him to easily hoist himself through. The ice cold water splashed on to his legs and soaked his pants as he pulled himself up and through.  
  
He now found himself within the walls of a man made chamber. It was a long rectangular room of square, block fitted Inca stonework, with water flowing through a length of aqueduct in the center. What appeared to be a recessed altar in the far wall caught his attention. The altar looked as if it were illuminated by a light source of its own, which was good because Jones' magnesium flare had burned down to where he could no longer hold it. He tossed the remains of the flare on the stone floor of the chamber where it sputtered, and then went out. He then moved towards the far wall, where the bluish light of the altar drew him. He had no desire to repeat his earlier experience with the clever Inca booby traps, and took each step slowly and deliberately keeping a careful eye out for any anomalies in the floor or the walls.  
  
But no booby traps or trap doors assailed him. As he approached the small altar he realized that the light source was coming from above. There was an opening above the altar where a hazy, bluish light filtered down. On the altar itself was a tightly bundled Inca mummy.  
  
In the style of the Incas, the mummy consisted of a carefully sewn bundle wrapped tightly in colorful cloth. The only bodily feature that could be seen was the head, which sat atop the bundle. The dried out, leathery, dark flesh of the face was pulled tight across the bones by the passage of centuries, forcing the black lips into a leering grin that seemed to Jones incongruous with its dead black eyes which stared indifferently at him from the world of the dead. On closer inspection he could see that the eyes had been replaced by black obsidian, or some other dark stone.  
  
After carefully scrutinizing the surface of the altar for any hidden dangers, Jones stepped up on to it and looked up towards the source of the bluish light above. Through the fairly large opening he could clearly see another chamber above, as well as a small patch of crystal blue Andean sky, the source of the filtered light. He hoisted himself up through this opening and into the new chamber.  
  
As he stood up in this new room he judged that he was now back on the same level of the tomb as he had been before falling into the death pit. But it was in a different part of the tomb that he hadn't suspected existed. It actually wasn't a room at all but rather a wide hallway. Behind him it terminated in a blank stone wall, but in front of him it curved around out of sight. The ceiling was high, several meters, and a small patch of sky could be seen where a gap in the stone work functioned as a sky light. To Jones it represented a way out.  
  
He'd done it. He'd found his way out. But he wasn't quite ready to leave yet. He had some unfinished business to take care of first. He'd come seeking the burial chamber of Payahuatac, and its golden Death Mask, and he had no intention of leaving without it.  
  
He got to his feet and moved cautiously forward towards the bend in the passage. As he rounded the turn the corridor narrowed, then ended in a set of stone steps leading up. Jones ascended. At the top of the steps was a large platform, with another Inca skylight above, another opening that allowed the bright sunlight into this part of the tomb. The ceiling here was relatively low, and it would be an easy chore to get up through it and out to freedom. But there was another set of steps on the other side of the platform that led down as well.  
  
A large object near the top of the steps caught the archaeologist's attention and he moved over to examine it. It was a rounded disc of highly polished mineral material, maybe mica, he thought, or obsidian. It was set into the stone where it caught the rays of the sun from the skylight, and focused them on to another, smaller disk positioned at the entrance to a small square opening in the stone wall next to the descending steps. Jones moved over to take a closer look at this small opening. But as he peered in he quickly recoiled, his eyes shut.  
  
"Light conduit," he exclaimed aloud, as if to tell himself what it was.  
  
He approached it cautiously again and this time when he peered in he squinted to protect his eyes. He looked down a long angular tunnel where the beam of light, gathered by the larger disk and focused on to the smaller, traveled down into the depths of the tomb.  
  
"To illuminate the burial chamber," Jones spoke again and nodded his head. "And forever shall the light of the sun shine on the face of Payahuatac," he quoted from the legend.  
  
All troubles, travails, and fatigue of the past several hours were forgotten in an instant, and a gleam shone in Indiana Jones' eye; a glint of brilliant Andean sun. 


	7. Payahuatac's Revenge

7  
Payahuatac's Revenge  
  
Jones gazed up through the skylight at the azure above for a brief moment, hoping it wouldn't be the last time he would ever see anything outside of this tomb. Then he squared his fedora, and cautiously began to descend the stone steps.  
  
It was a long descent. The steps grew darker as he went. He hadn't any flares left, and had lost his torch long ago, and so he had only what little light filtered down from above. But after a time the steps ended in a corridor which, after a short distance, made a right angle bend. Jones followed the passage to the bend, turned, and came upon a blank wall.  
  
His hands went to the wall immediately and he felt along the stones. The archaeologist's hands moved over their surface with practiced efficiency. Jones knew what he was looking for.  
  
"There!" he exclaimed after less than one minute, the smile on his face barely perceptible in the dim light.  
  
He pushed hard on one of the smaller, uppers stones. This had the effect of causing one of the large lower stones to move slightly outward, in his direction. The archaeologist grasped a hold of the larger stone and pulled. The stone was awkwardly shaped, and heavy, and it moved only millimeters with each pull. But eventually it came out and clunked down onto the floor of the corridor, leaving a wide hole in the wall.  
  
"You need to do a better job of covering your tracks next time fellas," he spoke, in reference to the ancient Inca builders, allowing himself a moment of self indulgence. But then it was back to the business at hand.  
  
He squatted down and looked into the opening. A thin point of light emanated, about 25 meters distant, at the far end of a long corridor. The light was faint, but it was there. Jones crawled through the opening, stood up and moved in the direction of the light. Wary of any booby traps, he advanced cautiously.  
  
After a short distance the passage narrowed considerably, the walls drawing inward, closer to him. With each step the distance between the walls diminished until before long he had to turn his body sideways to move forward. The feeling was claustrophobic, and it slowed his progress, especially since his body became jammed more than once as he sidled on, deeper into the tomb. The ceiling also began to grow lower the further he progressed and he had to bend down more and more in order to continue. It was obvious that the builders hadn't intended this passage to be used too often. Jones thought he knew why, and he hoped to confirm it soon enough. Before long, Indiana Jones found himself lying on his side, pulling himself forward along the stone floor of the corridor, now more tunnel than corridor. The efforts of his exertions caused a sweat to break out on his brow, and he breathed deeply, pulling more of the thin Andean air, stale here in this subterranean tomb, into his lungs as he inched forward towards the point of light ahead. The passage finally terminated in a tiny crawl space of blank stone wall. There was barely enough room for him to move, and certainly no room to turn around. If he was going to go back out the way he came, it would be only by snaking himself backward, he knew that. But the floor of the crawl space had a gap in it between the stones, and it was through this gap that the light emanated.  
  
Indy peered down through the gap. There was a chamber immediately below him. The chamber was small, but it was bathed in a shimmering, incandescent light; a luminous, golden fog that permeated throughout. The gap was narrow, just barely wide enough to squeeze through, and Jones could only get through by removing his belt, whip, and leather satchel. This he did, tying them together on to the rope he still carried in his pack, and dropping them down into the chamber before he squeezed his own body through head first.  
  
He landed with a thud on the floor. He now found himself in a very small chamber with a low ceiling. Both floor and ceiling consisted of long stone slabs laid at right angles to the walls. The chamber was lit by an incandescent, golden light that surged up from below through gaps in the stone floor, just as in the corridor above. But the light here was brighter.  
  
Indiana Jones knelt down on the cold stone of the chamber floor and gazed downward through the gap. A moment later a triumphant smile spread across his face as he looked straight into the emerald eyes on the face of the Death Mask of Payuhuatac. The dazzling, jeweled eyes of the mask stared back up at him unblinking, unseeing, unaware of the archaeologist who'd found his way into the Prince's final resting place.  
  
Or perhaps he wasn't so unaware, Jones thought. As he considered the situation, and the path he'd just taken to reach the burial chamber he knew that most probably this had been the route the builders had taken to get out ...after setting the last of the booby traps. Jones couldn't believe that it would be just this easy, and tempered his elation at having found the chamber, with the caution of experience.  
  
He stood up to put his belt back on, replete with Webley in holster and ever-present and reliable bullwhip fastened in the back. Then he knelt back down and again peered into the room below.  
  
The mask sat atop a simple, stone sarcophagus. Indeed it seemed almost out of place in what was an otherwise unremarkable burial chamber. The mask, adorned with gemstones and jade, with its gilded face frozen in a perpetually scowling grimace, sat atop the center of the sarcophagus rather than at the head. The sarcophagus sat atop a simple altar in the center of the chamber which was flanked by two mummies, one on either side.  
  
"Guardians," Jones mumbled.  
  
The walls of the chamber were painted all around with traditional Inca patterns. On each of the four walls were two small, angled gold plated panels. It was from these panels that the golden light that softly bathed the chamber emanated. The concentrated beam of sunlight that had been channeled down into the tomb from the mirrors above, struck the first golden panel, which splashed the light to the others in a chain reaction of luminescence that lit up the final resting place of Prince Payahuatac with the glow of the warm sun, far above. The last of the panels focused the light directly on to the mask so that indeed, 'forever shall the light of the sun shine on the face of Payahuatac'.  
  
"Forever ends today," Jones said, as he finished fastening his line with a double hitch around one of the long stone slabs that formed the burial chamber's ceiling. He then dropped the line down through the gap in the stones. The end of the line fell almost to the altar, its tip swinging just a few inches above the glimmering, scowl of Payahuatac's death mask.  
  
"From now on 'shall the light of a museum display case shine on the face of Payahuatac'."  
  
Indiana Jones squeezed his body through the gap in the stones and slowly descended the hanging rope. With one boot hooked around the other, and the line in between, he slowly lowered himself into the burial chamber. It was no more than five meters down to where the mask sat atop the sarcophagus and in just a few seconds he was positioned where he needed to be to reach it.  
  
Carefully he angled his body until he was nearly perpendicular with the rope. Then with his feet still firmly locked on to the line, he angled himself down further. His upper hand held tightly, letting go for a fractions of a second at a time, inching down to allow him to reach ever further with his lower hand for that which he had come so far to obtain. His eyes shone with determination, but also wariness. They darted about the chamber. His muscles were taut, as ready as could be for what danger may shortly come. The Inca Builders had thus far proven themselves both cunning, and deadly. Jones just hoped he could match that with wits, experience, and reflexes, though he knew the latter of the three weren't exactly what they used to be.  
  
Eventually he was in a position that was very nearly upside down, and his fingers were but inches from the scowling, gilded, bejeweled object of his quest. With one final furtive glance around the chamber he lunged the last few inches and snatched up the prize.  
  
The loud clicking sound he heard as the mask was removed from its position on the sarcophagus elicited a groan from Indiana Jones. A fraction of a moment later he heard something even more ominous, the low rumble of moving stone somewhere behind the wall of the chamber, followed by a hissing that began quietly, but within seconds grew louder.  
  
Frantically he struggled to right himself with his one free hand. The other clutched tightly to the golden prize.  
  
THHHHHHHHHH!!!  
  
The sound of increasing air pressure lent impetus to his efforts.  
  
THHHHHHHHHH!!!!!  
  
But he wasn't quite fast enough.  
  
THHHHHOOOOOOOK!!!!!!!  
  
The heavy dart whistled past his upside-down face so fast that he barely saw it. A gust of wind attested to its velocity.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
THHHHHHHHHH!!  
  
Jones could only curse as he continued his frenetic efforts to right himself on the line. He briefly considered discarding the precious death mask in order to free up both hands for his escape, but before he could make up his mind the Incas decided for him.  
  
THHHHHHHOOOOOK!!!!!!!  
  
CLANG!!!!  
  
The next dart struck the death mask with a power and force that stunned the archaeologist. The object flew from his hand, reflecting alternating, strobe-like flashes of brilliant golden light on to the chamber walls as it twirled through the air. It landed on the floor and wobbled ungracefully on its edge into the corner.  
  
Jones' descent was less spectacular. The jarring impact of the dart as it struck the mask in his hand spun him around in a crazy arc. Not only was the golden mask loosed from his lower hand, so too was the rope from his upper. He fell clumsily, bouncing on his back atop the lid of the sarcophagus before rolling off the edge of the altar and into the cold embrace of one of the guardian mummies.  
  
Jones fell right on top of the stoic, bundled, little sentinel and rolled over. When he looked up he found himself staring into unseeing shiny obsidian eyes, while wrinkled, black, leathery lips pressed against his own. At once he felt disgusted and violated. He pushed the filthy relic away, lifting it off of him.  
  
THHHHHOOOOOOK!!!!!!  
  
Another of the heavy darts was propelled forth from the chamber's walls. It struck squarely into the head of the mummy that Jones now held. Its brittle old gourd exploded in a shower of rancid fragments and time-rotted dust, some of which fell into the open mouth of Indiana Jones.  
  
The archaeologist wretched and spit violently while hurling the remains of the mummy across the chamber. He started to get up, but the hissing sound of another dart prompted him to throw himself back down to the floor. He remained prone as the hissing and whirring of seven more darts cut through the stale, golden air of the burial chamber, whistling overhead on their deadly trajectories.  
  
After a time the volleys of projectiles seemed to come to a stop. But Jones continued to lay prone. He dared not get up off the floor. Instead he crawled his way across the cold stones to reach the corner where the object of his quest, now dented from the impact of the dart, lay.  
  
Indy surveyed the damage to the mask in a few seconds and deemed it irrelevant; might even make for a good story, he thought. As often as not, the strangest of thoughts seemed to come at the strangest of times, and Jones couldn't help thinking that maybe Payahuatac's mask had saved him; purposely blocking the dart. Maybe Payahuatac wanted to be in a museum, wanted to be famous, wanted to be in a museum where the general public could come and view his terrible beauty and marvel at his splendorous, jewel encrusted, old mug.  
  
A new sound, far more ominous than any others he'd heard so far, suddenly interrupted his strange musings and thrust him back to the reality of the situation. With cold clarity he discerned the meshing of huge stone gears coming together somewhere; no doubt coming together to deliver the final death blow to he who dared intrude into the sacred chamber. Jones hurriedly thrust Payahuatac's mask into his leather satchel and prepared for the worst.  
  
All at once the ground beneath him began to tremble violently. The violence of the tremor threw him to the ground. A moment and a half later the floor of the tomb literally began to drop away. Starting near the altar and moving towards him in the corner of the chamber, the gigantic stone slabs that made up the floor began to just fall away. With deafening gnashing and grinding sounds the blocks disappeared below, falling down into an abyss of darkness.  
  
Jones fought his way back to his feet. His eyes searched around frantically as he watched the destruction of the floor moving inexorably towards him. His eyes locked on to his rope, still dangling above the altar. He'd never make the jump though, that was obvious. The distance was at least six meters, and widening by the moment as more of the floor dropped away. But there was nowhere else to run.  
  
He backed himself up against the wall. Perhaps he could wait it out, he thought; perhaps the few square meters on which he stood would be spared the sudden maelstrom of destruction; perhaps not.  
  
More tremors and thunderous crashing shook the chamber as more of the floor dropped away before him. Within a few more seconds Indy found himself with no more than two meters of floor left to stand on. He could clearly see the large blocks of stone dropping into the void, losing sight of them in the darkness long before they landed.  
  
His eyes went back to the rope, which still dangled tantalizingly close, but too far to jump. Then his hand went to his whip. Jones pulled the old reliable bullwhip from his belt and deftly unraveled it. He braced his back against the wall, leaned forward and hurled the sinewy leather with the carefully honed skill that had saved his carcass more than once before.  
  
Despite his skill with the whip though, the rope wasn't a stationary target. Indiana Jones flailed the whip over and over, and though he found the mark every time, as often as not the tip of the leather failed to grip on to the hemp. And the times that it did grip, when he pulled to tighten it, the leather would slip back off.  
  
Another meter of floor disappeared and he was now standing on nothing more than a narrow ledge. With desperation he stroked the leather through the dusty air of the trembling chamber again. Again it found the hemp and wrapped around. But Jones wouldn't get a chance to pull it tight, because the last of the floor gave way beneath his feet, and he plunged downward. 


	8. Eyes of a Child

8  
Eyes of a Child  
  
Indiana Jones clutched tightly to the handle of his whip as he descended into the darkness. Clinging to the familiar and trusted companion gave him at least some measure of solace as he plunged to his death. But then with an abrupt suddenness that nearly caused him to lose that grip, the whip jerked tight, and instead of plummeting downward the archaeologist instead took on a more horizontal trajectory.  
  
He slammed into the side of a subterranean cliff below the altar of Payahuatac with a bone jarring impact.  
  
Just as the old saying goes that you always find things in the last place you look, so too do things always work the last time you try.  
  
The tendril of the whip had indeed finally taken hold of the hemp on Jones' last try, wrapping over itself into a natural half-hitch that gripped tightly on to the rope. Now he pulled himself up as quickly as his aching muscles could manage, not trusting the tenuous knot to hold too long. Hand over hand he scaled up the length of the whip, feeling an immense sense of relief when his hands finally gripped the rough hemp of the hanging rope.  
  
So the luck of the Irish had come through again, he thought, as he pulled himself up on to Payahuatac's altar and lay down on his back to catch his breath. He peered back over and down into the void. The altar had been built on the edge of a huge volcanic chasm. Then he looked around him. The floor on the other half of the burial chamber had not collapsed at all, only the half that he had been on; so much for luck.  
  
After catching his breath the archaeologist untied his whip from the rope. He took a long look at it before coiling it up and hitching it back on to his belt. Then, with the golden prize safely tucked into his leather satchel, Indiana Jones hoisted himself up the rope and out of the burial chamber of Payahuatac. It had been a good day after all.  
  
A half hour later he emerged seemingly from out of the earth itself. He pulled himself up and out through the Inca skylight and found himself standing on the side of a mountain, bathed in the blood red glow of a vibrant Andean sunset. He took several deep breaths, tasting the crisp, clean air. He exhilarated in the cool wind, and his own freedom. The heavy weight of Payahuatac's mask felt good at his side, and he started on his way down, in the direction of where the trail must lie. He wanted to find it before dark.  
  
Indiana Jones whistled softly, and there was a spring in his step as he descended the mountainside.  
  
A set of wide eyes watched him.  
  
Concealed behind thick foliage at the edge of a stream bank, dark eyes peered through a small gap in the bushes and followed Jones' every step. The eyes belonged to a child. They were wide; wide with wonder. No one had ever come out from the mountain alive. How could it be that this gringo, with the strange hat had survived? With his own eyes Manilito had seen this white man enter the evil place, the place from which none ever returned. But now he watched as the man, with his 'latigo' at his side, stepped lightly down the mountain, back towards the village. Manilito wondered about the 'latigo'. Perhaps the man had slaves, he thought, and he beat them with the 'latigo' when he was angry. Perhaps the 'latigo' had magic, stronger than the evil magic inside the mountain.  
  
Indeed the entire mountain was considered evil by the village elders, and all in his village were forbidden to set foot on it. None ever did. It had always been outsiders who went up the mountain, never to come down. As it was when this gringo had passed through only days ago. Manilito remembered how all the villagers had looked away, or ran away, when the man had asked for a guide. He remembered how he, Manilito wanted to speak up and offer to guide the man for money, but fear of what the elders might do had prevented him.  
  
Manilito needed money for his mother, and would do almost anything to get it. He wanted so desperately to buy her some shoes. They were poor, his whole family, and with his father gone, his mother had to work so hard just to put food, usually not much, on the table. She dreamed of owning a new pair of shoes, to replace the rags she now tied around her feet to protect them as she toiled each day making bricks to sell in the town. Yes, Manilito would overcome his fears of the mountain in order to buy his mother the shoes. But before he had been able to speak alone with the gringo on that day, the gringo had left.  
  
But then the bad men had come to the village just a few hours later. He knew they were bad, but they offered him money. The bad men came from the town and offered Manilito money if he would go up the mountain to watch the gringo. They said that the gringo would go into the mountain, and they wanted to know if he came out alive. Manilito had told them that no one ever came out of the mountain alive, but the bad men seemed to think that this gringo with the hat could. Maybe they knew of this gringo's magic.  
  
So they had given him money. But only half of the money he needed to buy the shoes. They said they would give him the rest after he came to them with news of the gringo's return. Manilito had complained, repeating to them that no one ever returned alive after going into the mountain. They had just laughed, and told him that if the gringo did not return, then he would not get the shoes. So Manilito had gone up the mountain to follow the gringo. He'd watched him go in, and then had waited all the day long on the chilly slope, hoping against hope to see him emerge, and he had been rewarded for his wait. Now, after Jones had well passed by his hiding place Manilito sprang to his feet. It was hard for him to contain his elation. He would now get the shoes for his mother. How happy he knew it would make her. All he had to do was go in to the town and tell the men that the gringo had come out, alive.  
  
The town was more than ten miles away, but Manilito didn't care. Like some kind of modern day chasqui, the winged courier of the Andes, Manilito took off down the opposite path from Indiana Jones, and ran like the wind.  
  
As he ran, Manilito's joy was tempered by something else, something that bothered him. He did not like to go into the town; in fact he feared the town, more even than the mountain. The people of the town were cruel, and did not like his people. They called them 'Indios', or worse names that he didn't like to hear, or even to think about. Even though at least some blood of the Inca flowed in the veins of most of the town people, they still thought themselves superior to the 'Indios', and treated them badly.  
  
Though still a child, Manilito knew in his heart that in many ways the poverty of his own people was caused by the cruelty and greed of the town people. For this reason he was especially happy to take money from them, especially for something as easy as simply telling them that the gringo with the hat and the 'latigo' had come out of the mountain.  
  
Manilito smiled as he ran. 


	9. Train to Callao

9  
Train to Callao  
  
2 days later   
La Paz, Bolivia  
  
The rats were attacking him again. Indy winced at the ticklish feeling of one of the creatures' tongues probing into his ear. He then cried out as he felt a pair of incisors close tightly on his earlobe.  
  
"Ouch!!"  
  
He opened his eyes and looked to his left, into the dark brown eyes of Guadalupe Esmeralda Maria de los Santos lying next to him on the pillow. She was smiling mischievously even while she still held Jones' ear lobe tightly between her teeth.  
  
"What are you doing Lupe?" He asked matter of factly.  
  
She let go his ear, "waking you up, mi Amor."  
  
Jones picked up his pocket watch on the nightstand and looked at the hands in the dim light of the room, most of which was supplied by the rather garish neon sign of the restaurant next door to the small hotel in which they stayed.  
  
He looked back over at her after he checked the time, "But it's only a little after three in the morning, the train doesn't leave 'till six. I can sleep at least two more hours."  
  
She pouted a little, thrusting her generous lower lip out sensuously, "We need time to say goodbye mi Amor."  
  
"Two hours to say goodbye?" Jones exclaimed incredulously.  
  
Lupe just winked seductively, languidly closing and opening one of her long- lashed, toffee colored eyelids.  
  
The seductive signal wasn't lost on Jones, and a smile spread slowly across his face.  
  
Lupe put her hand down under the blanket, reaching for him. When she found him she smiled.  
  
"And I think you're more than up to the task Indiana Jones."  
  
They said goodbye for not quite the full two hours, and Jones did manage to get a little bit of sleep. But five o'clock came awfully early. He leaned over and kissed Lupe on the cheek before getting out of bed. As he started to dress, she lazily opened her eyes, then sat up and spoke to him.  
  
"Wait mi Amor, I will walk with you to the estacion. Oh! Yo lo perdere' Indiana Jones!" She exclaimed hoarsely, the sleep still thick in her voice.  
  
Jones liked the way Lupe mixed Spanish in with her English. Like adding spice to a recipe the fiery Latin language seemed to Jones to give the duller Anglo-Saxon tongue the flavor it lacked, and he liked the way she spoke to him.  
  
He turned to her. He liked the way she looked right now too; sitting there on the edge of the bed with the sheet pulled up tight to her bosom, one naked thigh innocently exposed as she placed her foot on the floor and prepared to get up. The contrast of the starched, white fabric served to accentuate the beauty of her dark skin Jones thought, as well as her long, wavy black hair, still wild with sleep.  
  
"I'll miss you too Lupe, I always do. But don't you have to go to work today?"  
  
Lupe was a nurse at La Paz's main hospital.  
  
"Si." She said with resignation in her voice. "But it is just as well. I need something to take my mind off of ....You!" she playfully pointed an accusing finger at him. "If I had to stay home today mi Amor I think I would just spend the whole day crying."  
  
Then her face brightened, "But..., yo no voy a trabajar hasta que ocho. So I can walk with you to the estacion eh?"  
  
Jones smiled at her, "Eh." He said back.  
  
Thirty minutes later they walked the cobblestone streets of La Paz, casting long shadows in the early morning sun as they made their way to the train station. Jones wore his fatigues, leather jacket, and fedora. He traveled light, with only a pack, which he held with one hand, slung over his back, and of course his leather satchel, heavy with the golden mask of Payahuatac inside it, hanging by his side.  
  
Lupe wore a drab colored, sensible knee length dress that effectively hid the beautiful curves that Jones knew lay underneath. Her wavy hair was loosely tied in the back, and her shoes were just as sensible as her dress.  
  
As they walked she spoke to him.  
  
"So mi Amor, when are you going to come to stay for good?"  
  
Jones looked away, as if to dodge not only this, but also the rest of the questions he knew would follow. "When are you going to come and marry me?"  
  
Indy swallowed, and continued walking in silence.  
  
"We can go and live on my grandmama's farm in the hills. You can look for your treasures. You know there is gold everywhere in those hills."  
  
As if to emphasize the point Lupe turned to face him with a wide smile, allowing the early morning altiplano sun to reflect off the golden crown she wore on her left front tooth.  
  
"Si, usted puede buscar sus tesoros, y, I can take care of our babies."  
  
"Babies?" Jones eyes widened and he threw a nervous look at her, shaking his head, "Oh, I don't think I'm quite ready for babies just yet."  
  
She smiled again, the sun glinting off her gold tooth, then held her hand to her belly, "Might be too....late ...mi Amor."  
  
She winked, and then laughed out loud. Indy liked the sound of her laughter, if not her sense of humor. At least he hoped she was joking.  
  
When the time finally came for the last goodbye, Lupe cried, and Jones kissed her tenderly. Then he turned and boarded the train.  
  
"You come back to me Indiana Jones!"  
  
After the train began to move Jones laid his head back, tipped the brim of his hat down over his eyes, and endeavored to reclaim those lost hours of sleep from the previous night. But for some reason the sleep would not come; unusual for him, particularly with the gentle rhythmic motion of the train, which would normally rock him to sleep in no time at all.  
  
After several minutes of insomnia-thwarted attempts to grab the elusive ZZZZ's Jones gave up. Maybe it was the mask. The large, jewel encrusted, solid gold mask of Payahuatac barely fit into his satchel, and he was self conscious about anyone catching a glint of the gold which shone through the gap where the top flap of the satchel was pushed up by its large size.  
  
The last thing he wanted was to attract any attention. He'd thought about putting the piece into his back pack, but preferred to keep it closer. It would be more difficult for a would-be thief to take it from him, and if need be, it would be easier to make a run for it.  
  
But maybe there was another reason he couldn't sleep. Maybe it was what Lupe had said. Sometimes Jones wondered if he would , ever settle down with any woman. Sometimes he felt guilty about his relationship with Lupe and other women in his life. Were the rewards of the nomadic, adventurous life worth it? Was he getting too old for this? He wondered. And he wondered about children too. Lupe's joke, and Jones still wasn't entirely sure it was a joke, had struck a chord deep within him. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to settle down. He could do a lot worse than Lupe, he thought to himself. She was sweet, pretty, and he knew she loved him. Did he love her? He knew that he loved to be with her. But there were too many other women who he could say the same about.....  
  
After a time Jones whisked the vexing thoughts from his mind. Too much soul searching wasn't good for a man. Hadn't someone famous said that once? If they hadn't they should have.  
  
The archaeologist's thoughts went back to the heavy gold piece that rested on his hip.  
  
The mask would fetch a small fortune. The jewels alone were worth enough to pay off his debts from last summer's disastrous dig in the Sudan. Or perhaps he could use the money for another purpose, such as to return to the Andes in search of the Disc of the Sun, a treasure which would make the mask of Payahuatac look like a mere trinket. But before he did that he would need to research the map more thoroughly.  
  
He gazed out the window of the train. Like most trains in the Andes it was slow. Its ultimate destination would be the city of Lima Peru, or more precisely Callao, its port city annex. Jones knew the trip down from the Andes to the Peruvian coast would be a twenty hour ride at least, and that's only if the train didn't break down on the way.  
  
The route of the train took it around the south shores of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake, and past the mystical and mysterious ruins of Tahuanacu, before crossing the border into Peru.  
  
Outside the window of the slow moving train the green valleys, mountains and hills of the Peruvian altiplano passed by. Llamas, alpacas, and vicunas grazed contentedly, not even looking up as the train wound languidly through their pastures.  
  
Riders roamed freely through the train, moving from car to car through the doors in between. Quechua Indians dressed in colorful alpaca wool wandered through, selling roasted corn on the cob.  
  
And so it was that Indy took no notice of the two men who now entered his rail car from the car behind, quietly closing the door and taking the seats across the aisle from the archaeologist.  
  
One of the men was large, probably well over two hundred pounds. His nose was flattened out, as if he might have been a fighter at some time in his life. His eyes were dull yet cruel, staring out at the world from a small mind with little or no conscience. His dark bushy hair matched his mustache.  
  
The second man was small, wiry, and swarthy. His hair was greasy and unclean. His nose was large and beak-like; his eyes were small and deep- set. They were beady, and far crueler looking than his companion's.  
  
Both men had the unmistakable glazed look of those who regularly chew the coca leaf.  
  
Manilito would know these two as 'the bad men'; the 'bad men' who had wanted to know if the gringo had come out of the mountain. And Manilito had told them that he had.  
  
Now the larger man eyed Jones' pack and satchel with the eye of a practiced thief. 


	10. Rough Ride

10  
Rough Ride  
  
Indiana Jones slept as the train to Callao chugged on sluggishly up hillsides and down through valleys on its undulating descent toward the Peruvian coast. Because he slept he did not see as the 'bad men' went about the car convincing the other riders that it was in their best interest to move forward into the next one.  
  
While the thin man bolted the back door, the heavy one approached each of the dozen or so passengers and quietly convinced them with a few threatening words to move forward into the next car; flashing the wicked looking serrated blade of a hunting knife to convince more forcefully where necessarily. When the last of the frightened, annoyed, and confused riders had been expelled, the heavy man slipped the bolt in the front door of the car. It locked in place with a loud click.  
  
There were now only the three of them in the car. From opposite ends the two men looked first at each other and then at the sleeping archaeologist, before both leered in unison. 'Heavy' brandished the hunting knife in his right hand. The frightening blade stuck out of his fat palm like some kind of evil appendage. In the meantime, 'thin man' reached into his back pocket and produced a wire garrote, which he wound tightly around both hands, mentally measuring Jones' neck as he slowly approached from the rear.  
  
Indy continued to sleep, innocently snoring, as his executioners stealthily approached. This would be easy, thought the 'thin man', as his leer turned more to a grimace, the twisted lips of his countenance a mirror of the evil intent in his mind. 'Heavy' threw one or two glances around the train, as if he might have forgotten someone, and then approached towards Jones, seemingly emotionless, but ready and eager to plunge his weapon into the sleeping man.  
  
Like the perfect victim Indiana Jones was oblivious to his approaching, violent death. Or so he hoped they'd believe.  
  
Perhaps it was because the clicking sound of the front door being latched was so much like that signal of imminent danger he'd heard so recently, deep in Payahuatac's burial chamber. Or perhaps it was simply because his line of work made it imperative that his senses be keen and decisively to such tell-tale sounds. Whatever it was, the sound of the latching door had awoken Jones from his sleep no less abruptly than if he'd had cold water thrown in his ruggedly tanned face.  
  
But he hadn't flinched. Instead, with only the rapid movement of heavily lidded eyes, he'd summed up the situation. Facing forward, he could not see 'thin man' approaching from behind, but he didn't need to. As 'heavy' approached from in front, the eye contact with someone to the rear of the car was unmistakable. Jones then remembered vaguely the two men who'd taken the seats across the aisle from him earlier.  
  
Indiana Jones knew the score. Now he needed a plan.  
  
But the two men who sought to kill him didn't give him much time to formulate one. So Jones went with the basics, his only ally was the element of surprise. The archaeologist waited a few more seconds, until his attackers were within striking distance...and then he struck.  
  
Before the oversized, knife wielding attacker before him could even register the movement in his dim-witted consciousness, Jones lunged forward and drove his fedora-clad head into the man's groin. The impact crushed the man's testacles into his pelvic bone with a violent impact that instantly buckled him, and left him gasping for air. His arms flailed weakly, all strength exorcised from his body by the jarring blow to that most sensitive part of his anatomy. His fat frame crashed to the floor of the train car where he vomited. His knife rolled underneath a carriage seat.  
  
Jones got up quickly and wheeled around to confront his other attacker. In a series of expressions 'thin man's' countenance registered the thoughts coursing through his coca juiced brain. Surprise, confusion, fear, and then anger registered in sequence on his ugly face before he dropped his garrote to the floor of the train and withdrew a .25 caliber pistol from the pocket of his dirty trousers. He took aim at Jones who ducked instinctively behind one of the train car seats.  
  
'Thin man' fired off three quick rounds in succession while Indiana Jones dove behind the seatback and struggled to pull his Webley out of his satchel. Though he was wearing his whip in an extra tight coil on his hip, Jones had not wanted to wear the holstered handgun while riding the train for fear of drawing attention to himself. Now he regretted that decision.  
  
He finally managed to withdraw the weapon, but not before he'd also had to pull Payahuatac's mask out and lay it on the seat next to him. Jones took a quick look at 'heavy' still writhing rather helplessly on the floor. Then he raised his weapon and fired back at 'thin man'. Jones fired two rounds in his direction, and the booming sound of the Webley instantly panicked the swarthy little criminal who let out a shrill scream, threw himself to the floor, and crawled behind the cover of another carriage seat.  
  
Indy turned to take another look at the fat man on the floor, but before he could, a huge fist landed squarely to his jaw. The blow from 'heavy' sent Jones sprawling backward, his head struck a train window with enough force that it shattered the glass, before he flopped back down on the train seat. His weapon flew from his hand and rolled on to the floor where 'heavy' picked it up.  
  
With a crazed look in his eye the fat man took aim at the groggy archaeologist at nearly point blank range and squeezed the trigger. The man's unfamiliarity with the weapon, and Jones' quick roll off of the carriage seat resulted in a missed shot. Instead of hitting Jones the bullet plowed into the seat cushion, tearing a hole in it and throwing a cloud of pillow stuffing up into the air.  
Jones lunged at the man and grasped a hold of his wrist before he could get off another shot. The gun went off, but it was misdirected by Indy towards the back of the train car, eliciting another shrill scream of fear from the cowering 'thin man'. Jones and 'heavy' now grappled in a life or death struggle with the gun. But 'heavy's' overpowering strength was making it no contest. Indy watched as the muzzle of the weapon slowly but inexorably turned toward his face. He felt helpless against the larger man's superior strength.  
  
One, two, three, four.....Jones mentally counted off the rounds thus far fired from the gun...there were two left in the chamber. If he couldn't stop 'heavy' from pointing the weapon at his face and pulling the trigger, then he knew his only chance would be if he could empty the chamber first. As suddenly as possible he wormed his struggling hand over towards the trigger and squeezed once, then again. The two rounds fired off in succession before 'heavy' could react. A fraction of a second later the muzzle of the gun was shoved into Indiana Jones' face, squashing his nose down.  
  
CLICK!!  
  
The sound of the empty weapon surprised the fat man as he squeezed the trigger. He stared mutely at the gun and relaxed for just a fraction of a second. It was all the time Jones needed. With a swift motion the archaeologist brought his knee up into the man's solar plexus, eliciting a loud grunt. 'Heavy' involuntarily released his grip and Jones took advantage again, delivering a right cross to the jaw that dropped him. He then scooped up the Webley, thrust the empty weapon into his satchel, and grabbed the golden mask off of the seat.  
  
Then another report echoed in the train car, that of a .25 caliber. It stung Indiana Jones in the left arm and staggered him.  
  
He'd been hit; and worse, it felt as if the round had struck his bone.  
  
As he gripped the back of a carriage seat to keep his feet he looked toward the back of the car and into the narrow, sunken eyes of the 'thin man' who now aimed his weapon again, drawing a bead on Jones' mid-section. Instinctively the archaeologist hurled the mask of Payahuatac through the air.  
  
'Thin man' took his eyes off of Indy as he first watched the golden object of his desires hurtle through the air towards him, and then ducked and shielded his face to avoid being struck with the heavy artifact. When he looked up again he was met with 175 pounds of surging archaeologist running at full speed. The impact sent the more diminutive 'thin man' sprawling, his weapon thrown from his hand.  
  
But he recovered quickly, scooping up the handgun a moment later and raising it again. Jones however had already unbolted the back door of the car and fled out, grabbing the golden mask on his way. 'Thin man' gave chase, followed on his heels by 'heavy', who'd not only gotten back up, but had found his knife, which he clutched in his fat fist. Murder was in his eyes.  
  
Indiana Jones struggled with the handle of the door to the next car back. He opened it, ran inside, and slammed it shut. He was greeted by the stunned faces of the half dozen passengers seated in this, the last car of the train. Seconds later the door flew open; kicked open by the enraged 'heavy'. Jones stumbled backward and fell. 'Heavy' charged forward'. The two women in the car screamed, and the male passengers shouted their surprise at the spectacle of the bleeding, struggling gringo, and his overweight, knife wielding pursuer.  
  
Indy scrambled up off of the floor and ran for the back door of the train car. 'Heavy' continued running after him but then stopped suddenly and dropped to the floor as 'thin man' shouted at him in Spanish.  
  
Jones knew what was coming next and dove for the floor himself just before a volley of .25 caliber rounds spattered against the walls and smashed out windows. The women screamed louder and the men joined them, huddling down for protection.  
  
The rapid fire gunshots were followed by the clicking of an empty weapon. 'Thin man' cursed violently, reached into his pocket for more ammunition, and shouted for 'heavy' to get up and get the gringo.  
  
Indy tore open the back door and ran out on to the small balcony at the rear of the car. This was the last car and so there was nothing behind him but the long trail of steel rails which pulsed out from beneath the train like twin steel wakes. There were two choices for him now. Either jump off of the train, which even at the slow speed at which it moved would probably result in at least one broken bone, or he could climb the short ladder on to the roof and try to lose them by running forward. Maybe he could find a Policia in one of the forward cars. If he jumped off they would probably just do the same, he thought, and run him down anyway, so Jones chose the latter course of action and started to scale the short ladder up on to the train's roof. His left arm was bleeding and it hurt like hell as he pulled himself up, still clutching tightly to Payahuatac's mask.  
  
As he reached the top of the train Jones heard the rear door fly open followed by shouted Spanish curses. He was now gasping for breath though, not used to such exertions in the high Andean air, and struggled to get up. And then he heard the front door open, which brought him to his feet.  
  
The archaeologist started to run forward as fast as he could while maintaining balance. The train jerked and undulated, and it was no easy task just to stay on his feet at all. But he didn't get very far anyway before 'thin man' emerged over the edge in front of him and pointed his weapon. Jones skidded to a stop and turned to run back but was met with the menacing sight of 'heavy', now atop the train with his feet squared and the murderous blade of the hunting knife held firmly in his tight grip. He glared at Jones, and his eyes bespoke the unmistakable look of revenge as he held the knife in the one hand while the other gripped hard to his aching groin.  
  
All three men breathed heavily, chests heaving in and out. Indy turned back to the 'thin man', who held up his hand towards 'heavy', motioning for him to stay back where he was. And then for the first time he spoke to Jones.  
  
"Doctore' Jones. You have' something that I want," he said as his eyes riveted on to the gleaming, bejeweled mask in Indy's hand.  
  
With all the sarcasm he could muster under the circumstances Indy feigned surprise, "Oh really? I hadn't noticed. I just thought you didn't like the way I snored."  
  
'Thin man' glared with his deep set, pea sized eyes, "Save your estupide' jokes Doctore' Jones and hand over the mask."  
  
"Or what!?" Jones asked him with Oscar winning disdain, wondering in slight awe as to why the man didn't just shoot him on the spot.  
  
And then it occurred to Indy that maybe the little criminal didn't want for Jones to drop the mask as he fell off the train to his death. The archaeologist looked around at the landscape they now passed through. It was a mix of semi-desert scrub and conifers. The ratty little scum didn't want to have to get off the train and go back and find the mask where it might fall.  
  
"Hand over the mask Doctore' Jones!" 'thin man' shouted, "or I will keel you!" he took deep breaths and aimed his weapon at Indiana Jones' heart.  
  
The swarthy little man spat, and then spoke more, "Si, maybe you have soma kind of magico Doctore' Jones; to go into the mountain and come out alive. But your magico weel not protect you from my bullets amigo!"  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Indy answered back, then glanced down at his bleeding wounded left arm, "you haven't had much luck so far, with your bullets, have you... amigo? You're not a very good shot."  
  
'Thin man' glared and gritted his teeth, "Shut up you gringo pig! !Deme la ma'scara!" he screamed and shot off a warning round close by to Jones head.  
  
'Heavy' scowled and moved a few steps closer to the archaeologist, wanting nothing more than to plunge his blade to the hilt into the heart of this gringo who had caused him such agony. His eyes then went to the area below Indiana Jones belt; ...or maybe his knife would find another target.  
  
As he stood there atop the moving train, between the two murderous criminals, Indy took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. It was a technique he'd learned from the Buddhist monks in the Tibetan temple where he'd spent the entire summer of '29 as an apprentice. He remembered the words of his teacher and mentor, Fau Tze:  
  
'If used properly, even the briefest moment of meditation can be as a thousand years of contemplation'  
  
He opened his eyes and looked into the distance. A moment later he saw what he must do. 


	11. River Run

11  
River Run  
  
Indiana Jones stood atop the moving train car and gazed past the menacing scowl of 'thin man', ignoring for a moment the muzzle of the handgun that the murderous little man kept leveled at his mid-section. There, about a quarter of a mile ahead he could see the rushing waters of a small River passing beneath a low trestle bridge; probably a high tributary of the Tambo, he thought.  
  
Jones mentally measured the distance from the bridge to the water and made his decision. He could make it. Despite the swirling rapids and white water that were evident even from a distance, he still thought it would be his best option. The longer he just stood there, the more likely he was going to die; either shot...again, stabbed, or more likely both.  
  
Indy was a good swimmer, and trusted in his abilities. Sizing up his two assailants, he would have to think that that neither of them was likely to be very agile in the water, especially the fat one. And it was doubtful they would follow anyway.  
  
The archaeologist knew that the water would be cold, but he also knew that with the swiftness of the current he could probably make it miles downstream before these two could get off the train to even try and pursue him. By then he'd be long gone. Then he could just follow the Tambo to the coast. It would be about four hundred miles shy of Callao, but maybe he could pick up a steamer in Mollendo or Matarani.  
  
All of these thoughts passed through his mind in the span of two seconds time.  
  
But two seconds was also the limit of 'thin man's' patience, and he screamed at the archaeologist again, "Deme la Ma'scara!"  
  
"Come and get it!" Jones baited, and held the golden mask up in the air. He needed to stall for time as the train wound its way toward the bridge.  
  
Behind him, 'heavy' took two steps forward.  
  
Jones whirled towards him and held the mask out as if about to throw it off the train, "Stop right there!" Indy warned.  
  
'Thin man' spat forth with a torrent of rapid Spanish and 'heavy' stopped.  
  
Jones turned back to him. He eyed the front car of the train to gage the progress towards the bridge, and then spoke to 'thin man' again, "Look, if I give you the mask...," he let his sentence trail off. "If you give me the mask Doctore' Jones, then I will let you live! I will let you leave the Andes with your life; just like my ancestors let you leave the mountain with your life."  
  
"Don't insult the Incas." Jones shot back, "they wouldn't claim the likes of you."  
  
"I said shut up with your estupide' jokes Doctore' Jones! This is your last chance gringo! Give me the mask, or die!"  
  
The front of the train was now passing over the bridge.  
  
Jones once again held the mask up in the air, noting how 'thin man' followed it with his eyes in much the same way that a dog does when teased with a tasty table scrap. All he needed was just a little more time for the rear car to pass over....  
  
'Thin man' brought his left hand up to support the gun in his right. He stopped ogling the mask and stared once again into the steely brown eyes of Indiana Jones. Closing one eye, he aimed the gun carefully at the archaeologist's chest and grimaced. Jones knew that this time he wouldn't miss.  
  
"The choice is yours Doctore' Jones."  
  
"Alright!" Indy said, stalling for the few seconds more that he needed, "Alright, I'll give you the mask," he paused for a moment longer and adjusted his feet in preparation for the jump, "but you'll have to come to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to get it..."  
  
With that, Jones leaped off the top of the train car, one hand held tightly to his fedora, the other clutching the mask of Payahuatac. His legs cart wheeled in the air for balance as he sailed down towards the rushing waters of the river. Spanish curses and wild gunshots competed with the wind whistling in his ears.  
  
The jarring plunge into the icy water was accompanied by a sudden excruciating pain in his left arm. Jones distinctly heard the cracking of bone as his left humorous broke. What felt like a lightning bolt shot from the area of his upper arm and straight into the pain center of his brain. He involuntarily cried out, sucking in a mouthful of cold mountain water. Through the haze of the jarring pain and the numbing cold of the water Indy clearly realized that the impact of striking the water had most probably finished the job started by the .25 caliber bullet.  
  
The water was rougher than he'd expected, and faster. He was carried along by the force of the river. He was pushed, pulled, and throttled along by the rushing rapids of the high mountain river, impatient to complete its long journey to the Pacific. He pounded and bounced off of the rocks that formed the basin of the powerful waterway, each impact sending jolts of pain into his left arm which now hung useless at his side. The only condolence was that the rocks here in this part of the river were rounded and smooth. Were the rocks any sharper, the torrential pace of the rapids would cut him to pieces.  
  
He had been only half right about his assailants not following him. While the fat man had indeed just stood, stupefied as Jones had leaped from the train, 'thin man', after firing off some wild shots had succumbed to the crazed lust for gold that was more a trait of his Spanish ancestors than any Inca blood.  
  
The wiry little criminal had leaped off the train and into the waters of the river just seconds after Jones, and just seconds before the train car completed its passage over the bridge. He had missed killing himself on the rocks of the banks by just a few meters.  
  
Now he pursued Indiana Jones; pursued him through the violent and tumultuous waters. He bounced and impacted off of the same rocks as his quarry, but without the accompanying jarring pain that the archaeologist suffered. With the use of both his hands, he had the advantage, and he gained on Jones, keeping his eyes focused on the fedora clad head that bounced up and down in the churning waters ahead.  
  
It didn't take him long to catch up.  
  
Within a few short moments he caught up with Indy and grabbed the golden mask. Jones held tight to it with his right hand while he vainly tried to bring his left arm up to take a swing...but he could not lift his left arm; it continued to hang limply in the water.  
  
The two men struggled for the mask even as they struggled to maintain their own balance in the maelstrom of white water. 'Thin man' repeatedly struck Jones in the face. The one armed archaeologist had nothing to counter with and took the blows stoically while he bobbed on through the water, alternately gulping and choking. But he held on to the mask.  
  
Then 'Thin man' tried a new tactic. He wrenched the satchel off of Indiana Jones' shoulder, worked his way around, and wrapped its long leather strap around the archaeologist's neck, pulling it tight. Jones gasped for air as the leather strap cut into his neck and cut off his airway. In a moment all respiration was blocked. Fear and panic set in a moment after that.  
  
Indy knew he would die if he didn't break the strangulating grip that 'thin man' held. But with only one arm it wasn't much of a contest. 'Thin man' held on for the kill, pulling tight with both hands but watching closely to Jones' grip on the golden mask.  
  
Indy had to do something quickly or die. In a sudden motion he swung the heavy mask of Payahuatac backward toward his attacker. The dazzling, gold and jewel encrusted artifact struck squarely into the beak-like nose of 'thin man'. This time, the sound of breaking bone pleased the archaeologist, struggling for his life. The impact of Payahuatac's fury crushed 'thin man's' nose and he involuntarily released his death grip on Indiana Jones. His hands went to his face now gushing red into the foaming white waters. Indy kicked his feet hard to gain separation and put distance between him and his persistent attacker.  
  
Both men tumbled over a small falls, and the water suddenly began to get even rougher than before. Jones and 'thin man now each fought separate battles with the churning river. They both struggled hard to gain control of their own movements, but it was in vain. The water took control and hurtled them down its rough course; a course that now included more and more sharp angled rocks and stones that cut and tore at their flesh.  
  
After another small falls they found themselves in a deadly course of raging waters. All thoughts of anything but survival were driven from their minds as all control was lost to the river. They lost sight of each other. Jones nearly passed out from the pain in his left arm, but fought on with the tempest of rampaging water, struggling to reach the rocky bank.  
  
The rocks were more than just sharp here. Each jutting, angular patch of rocks on this stretch of the river and its banks held the potential to be lethal considering the force with which the two men were thrown forward by the relentless and pitiless waters.  
  
Up ahead, Jones caught a glimpse of a promontory of rock jutting out toward the center of the river from the left bank, with a reciprocal rock formation on the right bank. Between them was what could only be described as a watery vortex of death where the furious power of the rushing water was concentrated into a narrow neck of chaos, with ugly black rock formations that poked up through the foaming maelstrom like rows of shark teeth. The archaeologist fought for his life to reach the river's bank before being thrown to this certain death.  
  
Using Payahuatac's mask as both a paddle and a rudder, Jones fought to guide himself closer to the left bank, and its promontory of rock. But then suddenly, as if in a car that just shifted into high gear, he accelerated out of control towards the vortex that churned between. Desperately the archaeologist thrust out his one good arm. His hand still gripped the mask tightly with aching fingers.  
  
Once again, as before in the tomb, the mask seemed to come to the aid of Indiana Jones and save his life. The golden edge of the mask lodged into a ledge in the rock of the left bank. The rock cut into the softer gold of Payahuatac's death mask and gripped it like an anchor. Indy held on for his life. A few painful moments later he climbed up on to the rocky promontory and collapsed.  
  
A sobering thought brought him back to full consciousness.  
  
His satchel with the Inca treasure map was gone. 


	12. Tough Choice

12  
Tough Choice  
  
Indiana Jones sat up on the rocky promontory. His arm throbbed and he was still coughing up water as he fruitlessly searched his eyes around the river. He knew that he couldn't really expect the satchel, with not only the Inca treasure map but also his beloved .455 Webley handgun, to just come floating down the river to him. He knew it was lost forever in the churning waters and he'd never see it again.  
  
So he was surprised when he did.  
  
The trusty old leather satchel, that had seen the inside of almost as many tombs as the Grim Reaper himself, was cascading down on the surface of the river directly towards him. Unfortunately for Jones it was still attached to the struggling body of 'thin man' who fought to save himself from the vortex between the two rock formations just as Indy had only a few moments ago.  
  
He was coming directly towards Jones, and this presented the archaeologist with a dilemma. He was in a position to reach out with a helping hand to the little criminal, but wasn't too sure if he should. If he didn't he'd never get his satchel back, but if he did...well, despite the fact that 'thin man' no longer had his .25 caliber, Indy still wasn't sure, with his broken arm, if he could take the man down. But Jones' dilemma became a moot point before the 'thin man' ever reached him.  
  
A sudden swirl of the churning river water threw 'thin man' in the other direction. He plowed face first into the promontory on the right hand bank of the river, where he clutched tightly to the rocky face. Then he slowly climbed up. The wet, dripping satchel still hung from his shoulder.  
  
The man at first didn't even see Jones on the other side of the raging waters. He did a quick double take and then spun around to face him. For a moment, he seemed at a loss as to what to do. Then he took a few menacing steps towards Jones and reached in his pocket for his handgun. But it wasn't there. Then he opened Jones' satchel and awkwardly fumbled around for a moment before producing the Webley handgun. He aimed at Jones and pulled the trigger.  
  
CLICK!  
  
Jones just stood there and stared him down. He couldn't help thinking how much the swarthy little man looked like a drowned rat. Blood still streamed down his face from his broken nose, and he spat blood down on to the rock at his feet as he glared at Indiana Jones. But without his oversized sidekick and his handgun he was significantly less threatening.  
  
Indy wanted the map back. The two men stood on opposite sides of the chaotic, murderous waters that boiled in the vortex between them. Twelve feet separated them, too far for either man to jump. 'Thin man' pulled the trigger of the Webley again.  
  
CLICK!  
  
"It's empty!" Jones shouted from across the water.  
  
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!  
  
"Deme la ma'scara!" The little man shrieked as he fruitlessly pulled the trigger over and over.  
  
"Why don't you just throw it at me?" Jones taunted, hoping that 'thin man' might do just that.  
  
'Thin man' gazed down into the raging waters that separated them, and then at the empty gun in his hand. The look of defeat was evident in his eyes. In frustration he brought his arm back, as if to throw the gun at Jones, but then stopped.  
  
He smiled coldly, "Si amigo, you would like that eh?" Then his face took on a whimsical, almost philosophical expression, though Indy doubted that much in the way of deep philosophical thoughts ever passed through his little brain, "No amigo," He said, opening the satchel and dropping the Webley inside.  
  
"This time you win Doctore' Jones. I guess you still have your magico." He said. Then he slung the satchel over his shoulder and turned to walk away.  
  
"Wait!" Jones shouted after him.  
  
The man turned back around, "wait for what? You win Doctore' Jones! Today the gods of the Andes have smiled on you," then his eyes narrowed, and his teeth came together in a grimace, "but if ever you return here gringo Jones, you will take your last breath with my hands around your throat."  
  
Jones stared at him with a level gaze, "that's fine..... Amigo, but right now you've still got something that belongs to me," he gestured with his hand at the satchel, "and I want it back."  
  
'Thin man' stared back at him incredulously, and then broke out into laughter. When his laughter finally subsided he glared at Jones, "you go to hell!" he said, and then turned around again to walk away.  
  
The thought of losing the map, a map which Indiana Jones had every reason to believe could lead him not only to the Disc of the Sun, but a horde of other Inca treasure as well, compelled him to act.  
  
"I'll give you the mask!" He shouted.  
  
'Thin man' stopped in his tracks, and turned around. He gazed over at Jones as if looking at a mad man, "you will give me the mask," he paused, and then lifted the satchel from his hip, "for this?"  
  
Jones held up Payahuatac's mask, "Yes. You give me my bag, and I give you the mask."  
  
Indy almost could not believe the words that came out of his own mouth. But despite the value of Payahuatac's death mask, and the hell that he'd gone through to retrieve it, the treasure map held forth the potential for so much more.  
  
'Thin man' smiled malevolently, "OK amigo, you throw me the mask, and I'll throw you your bag, eh?"  
  
Jones shook his head, "sorry ...Amigo, it doesn't work that way".  
  
'Thin man' kneeled down on the rock and opened the satchel. He reached in and pulled out the Webley, and then its holster. He set these down on the rock platform and rummaged around inside some more, "what is it in here that is so valuable to you Doctore' Jones?"  
  
Then his hand found the map. He withdrew it and opened it. It was wet and soggy. 'Thin man' carefully unfolded it and studied it with uncomprehending eyes.  
  
"This?" he asked incredulously, "What is this?"  
  
And then it dawned on his dim-witted brain.  
  
"Ah, it is a map eh Amigo?...a treasure map?"  
  
From across the raging vortex of water between them, Indiana Jones reached down to his hip with his one good arm and pulled out his tightly coiled whip. He spilled the leather out on to the rocky promontory and then reared back and let loose. The leather tendril of the whip flew across the chasm in between and landed at the feet of 'thin man'. It had just barely enough length to make it, and Jones took care not to snap the whip so that it stayed where he placed it.  
  
"Pick it up!" Jones commanded, "Tie it on to the strap of the bag! Put the map, and the gun back inside!"  
  
'Thin man' looked across at him, "As you yourself said Amigo, it does not work that way."  
  
"Shut up and listen!" Jones shouted more forcefully, "Tie the whip to the handle of the bag. Then you can put your foot on the whip and hold it down. Then I'll throw you the mask," Jones paused for a moment, "but don't expect me to throw it right to you. You'll have to move to catch it."  
  
'Thin man' seemed to comprehend the scenario that Indy put forth, "and then to catch the mask I will have to take my foot off of your latigo eh Amigo?"  
  
"That's right ....Amigo!" Jones shouted back.  
  
'Thin man' stared at Indiana Jones for a moment, "But Doctore' Jones, you already have the mask. Why? ...Why would you give up the gold and jewels in your hand for a..., a piece of paper?" He then held up the map, before folding it back up and returning it to the satchel along with the gun and holster.  
  
The question was a conundrum that Indiana Jones couldn't quite answer, "Just hurry up or I'll change my mind," was all he could say.  
  
'Thin man' nodded his head slowly, smiled grimly, and then tied the end of the whip to the strap of the leather satchel, keeping his foot down hard on it.  
  
"There Doctore' Jones", he said and gestured down to the satchel lying on the rocks at his feet.  
  
"How do I know it's tight?" Jones asked.  
  
'Thin man lifted the bag to show him the knot, keeping his foot down on the length of whip. He pulled on it to show the archaeologist, "It is tight Doctore' Jones, now throw me la Ma'scara!"  
  
With his left arm hanging broken and useless at his side, Indiana Jones would have to depend on his right to do all of the work. He kneeled down on the rocky promontory and laid the handle of his whip down. He then picked up the Death Mask of Payahuatac, feeling pangs of uncertainty as he gazed into its fabulous, glimmering, bejeweled countenance. Then he placed his boot down on to the handle of the whip to keep it in place, and cast his gaze once again across the river to where 'thin man' stood. Jones could swear the man was salivating.  
  
He hated what he was about to do, but he had no other choice. 


	13. Christmas Party

13  
Christmas Party  
2 weeks later, Christmas Eve 1937   
Barnett College, New York  
  
As a steady snow silently fell outside the window Indiana Jones struggled with the wrapping paper and tape. It wasn't easy wrapping a Christmas present with one arm. In fact he'd discovered over the past couple of weeks just how difficult most every ordinary daily task could be when limited to one wing.  
  
Jones gripped at the tape with the tips of the fingers of his left hand which stuck out of the end of the cast. The cast went from his hand, clear up to his shoulder, bent in a right angle at the elbow. It was suspended with a sling that hung from the archaeologist's neck to support its weight. It was damned inconvenient, but it effectively immobilized his broken humorous bone so that it could properly heal.  
  
He'd returned from the Andes just in time to administer final exams, and his students had wasted no time in decorating the plaster cast that encased their favorite professor's arm. The length of the cast was covered in all manner of Egyptian Ankh symbols, Celtic spirals, and Sanskrit scribbling. Not to mention the many colorful signatures.  
  
He pointed to where the paper needed to be folded and held down, "Marcus could you...?"  
  
"Oh, certainly Indy, I'm sorry" Marcus Brody answered, and then kneeled down on the carpet of Jones' on-campus bungalow floor and neatly folded the wrapping paper so Jones could tape it.  
  
As usual, museum curator Marcus Brody was impeccably dressed in a smart grey suit with Oxford shoes. His salt and pepper hair was combed neatly back, and the natural twinkle in his eye was like a window into the youthful spirit that still beat strongly in his sixty-odd year old heart.  
  
Jones smoothed out the tape with the fingers of his working hand and smiled with satisfaction, "There!" He said in triumph at the accomplishment.  
  
Marcus observed the package and smiled, "Yes, there indeed. I'm sure Irene will be more than thrilled with her gift." He said, in reference to Irene, the Departmental Secretary and destined recipient of the Christmas present.  
  
He sat back down and looked again at Indy, "And so, what happened next?"  
  
Jones got up off of the floor and sat back down in his armchair where he continued to relate his recent experiences to his best friend and mentor.  
  
"Where was I?"  
  
"You were about to throw the mask across the river to your fine Peruvian friend." Marcus said in his light British accent. His many years in America had somewhat faded and obscured the origins of the flavor of English he spoke, but enough came through to lend it a 'distinguished' tone.  
  
"Oh yeah," Jones said sarcastically, "my Amigo." He shrugged, "Well, when I tossed the mask. I guess I just didn't manage to throw it quite far enough. My Amigo dove to catch it. I grabbed my whip and reeled in the bag. And that was it."  
  
"But what of your...Amigo?" Marcus asked as he raised one eyebrow.  
  
"He didn't make it." Jones deadpanned.  
  
Marcus threw Indy a curious look.  
  
The archaeologist shrugged, "Like so many men before him, his greed for gold and treasure cost him his life."  
  
After Indy said that he couldn't help a nervous, wry, half smile. He wondered if some day someone might say the same thing of him; the thought somewhat unsettled him.  
  
"He went in to the river?" Marcus asked, though it sounded more like a statement.  
  
"Yes," Indy answered, "and so did the mask."  
  
"But you saved the map." Marcus said, turning his attention to Jones' coffee table.  
  
Its tortured trip across centuries and continents, from the grasp of a dying, 16th century conquistador to the 20th century archaeologist's coffee table where it now lay, had left the map worse for wear. The dunking in the river had caused some damage to parts of it, and Jones was glad that he'd had so much time to study it before, in the death pit. Then again maybe he wasn't so glad to have had those moments, recalling his eerie 'campfire' in the tomb with a slight shudder.  
  
Jones looked down at it, "About eighty percent of it anyway. The water damage has destroyed about twenty percent."  
  
"But you say you remember the missing parts?"  
  
"Yeah, I had plenty of time to study it."  
  
"So what's the plan as to what you're going to do with it?" Marcus asked. "You know Marcy Delhomme?" Indy said.  
  
"Why of course I know the beautiful Marcy," Marcus answered, "Barnett's Professor of Modern Art. One of the shining stars of your department."  
  
"Yes well she's also a magnificent calligrapher," Jones said, "she's going to copy the map, detail for detail, leaving the obscured parts blank. Then when she's done we'll get together and... I'll fill in her blanks."  
  
Marcus thought for a moment, and then cleared his throat, "Yes, well, and then what of the original?"  
  
"It's yours Marcus, for the museum."  
  
This brought a smile to the face of the Antiquities Curator of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, "And truly a fine addition it will be," he said.  
  
Jones glanced at his watch, and then straightened his bow tie," but we'd better get going, we're already late for the party."  
  
A few minutes later, armed with galoshes, gloves, and greatcoats the two men went out into the snowy evening and made their way across campus to the Arts and Humanities department faculty building. Like Santa Claus himself, Jones carried a small sack of gifts slung over his shoulder.  
  
As they entered the faculty lounge the warm greetings and the cozy fire crackling in the fireplace quickly dispelled the cold.  
  
"Indy! Marcus! So glad you could both make it." Randy Brewster, Professor of Modern History greeted them, "Please, have some eggnog."  
  
"Hello Indy ...Marcus," Irene nodded to them in turn and smiled. Always efficient, she already carried two glasses of the spiked holiday beverage over to them.  
  
"Why thank you Irene." Marcus said as he took the glass from her, "You look quite lovely this evening."  
  
"Thank you Marcus," Irene smiled more broadly.  
  
Then she turned to Indiana Jones. A 'knowing' look flashed like a silent lightning bolt between their eyes for just a fraction of a second. It always did. Indy and the departmental secretary had had a brief fling together when he'd first come to teach at Barnett. But both had quickly realized that it was better to call it off before it could get too hot. Since then they'd developed a very close and warm professional relationship. But there was always that ember that threatened to re-flash.  
  
"And how is my wounded warrior?" Irene asked him.  
  
Jones looked down at his plaster encased arm, "Oh, it's getting better."  
  
"When does the cast come off?"  
  
"Some time in January." Indy answered, and then he reached into his sack of presents to give Irene hers.  
  
"Thanks so much Indy," she said as she accepted the gift, "I'll go put it under the tree with the others. I've got to go and refresh the eggnog bowl as well. Excuse me gentlemen."  
  
As Irene walked away Marcus waved in recognition to someone across the other side of the room, and then repeated the gesture to someone over near the eggnog bowl. He turned to Indy, "Well then, if you don't mind Indy, I do believe that I will throw myself into the fray and ...mingle."  
  
Indy smiled and gestured with his good arm, "at your peril."  
  
Jones gazed around the room and recognized the figure of Matt Lowell, Professor of Art History and part time Archaeology Professor. On so many occasions Matt had stood in for Henry Jones Jr.'s classes when the latter was ...'unavailable'.  
  
"Matt!" Indy walked over to him, "I know that I told you already but I'll say it again, thanks so much for taking my classes for that week after Thanksgiving break. I...thought I'd be back, I really did, but ...well there were complications," Jones motioned towards his cast.  
  
Matt was a good natured man. He was a couple years Indy's junior, and had an eye for the ladies. Rather than be put out by standing in for the Archaeology professor's classes, he actually enjoyed it.  
  
"Oh don't worry about it Indy, it was my pleasure. Your classes always seem to have a good...ratio." He winked, "besides, I like a change of pace now and then."  
  
"Well I appreciate it Matt."  
  
Just then another of the faculty approached. Professor Robert Manning was without a doubt Indiana Jones' least favorite colleague at Barnett.  
  
He was several inches shorter than Jones. His shock of dark hair was combed to one side. It stuck way too far out from his head like a wing, in defiance of any code of fashion known to man. His nostrils were too wide for his nose and his mouth hung on his pasty face in what looked like a perpetual scowl. The man had obviously had a few too many cups of eggnog as well, and he staggered slightly as he approached. "This won't be good," Indy said quietly to Matt.  
  
"So!" Manning nearly shouted. The alcohol amplified the volume of his voice. "Henry!" he looked disdainfully at Indy's cast with his bloodshot eyes, "How nice of you to come back," he spoke sarcastically.  
  
Jones searched the room with his eyes, doing his best to ignore the lout.  
  
"Professor Lowell!" the man turned to Matt, "you more than anyone should be glad to see the return of our...adventurous Professor Jones; the Professor Jones who dumps his classes on you while he goes gallivanting around the world...or wherever it is that he really goes."  
  
Manning slurred his speech, having particular trouble with 'gallivanting', stumbling badly over the multi-syllabic word.  
  
Matt politely spoke to him, "Look Rob, why don't we talk some other time, I really ...."  
  
Manning ignored him and turned to Jones again, "So Henry, which red-light district in which slum in what corner of the world were you whoring in this time?"  
  
Jones continued to ignore the man, and waved and smiled at an attractive young female graduate student who was smiling at him from behind the punchbowl. Manning turned his head to look. When he made eye contact with the girl she involuntarily grimaced and then turned away. Manning turned back to Jones with renewed fury.  
  
"Face it Jones!" his eyes narrowed, "You're a nothing. You've accomplished nothing. You're a middle aged college professor who's never been published. You're not getting any younger. Stop pretending that you're something else, something you're not!"  
  
Jones finally had enough.  
  
He stared down at the annoying little aggressor, "Nice speech Rob. But when you practiced it in the bathroom mirror this morning are you sure you were practicing?"  
  
Leaving him to ponder that riddle through his alcoholic fog, Jones brushed past the irritating man and went in search of the pretty graduate student who'd disappeared into the gathering of party-goers. But he didn't get far before Manning grabbed his shoulder from behind.  
  
Jones spun around with fire in his eyes, "Don't you ever touch me!"  
  
He kept his voice down not wanting to cause a scene, but conveyed his words in no uncertain terms. The look he gave Manning caused the man to take a step back and he almost stumbled.  
  
Jones held the steely look, "Whatever else you might think of me Manning one fact remains. Even with one arm I can still kick your ass anytime I want to."  
  
Manning threw him a petulant look, "are you threatening me Jones?"  
  
Indy ignored him and turned again to walk away.  
  
Manning called after him, "Just remember Jones, I'm doing everything in my power to get you fired from this college, and I won't quit until you're gone, for good. You don't belong here!"  
  
Indy made his way over towards the fireplace where Mrs. Wilma Leary, Professor of English Literature, stood. The elderly Professor Leary was one of the most popular Professors on campus, and was the epitome of the 'sweet old lady'.  
  
"Henry!" she looked at his cast "Oh Henry! You poor dear what ever happened to your arm?"  
  
"I broke it." Jones answered simply.  
  
"How did it happen dear?"  
  
"It's kind of a long story," Indy said.  
  
"Well that's my specialty Henry...long stories." Then she giggled, leaned forward and gave Jones big wet 'old lady' kiss on the cheek that left a trail of red lipstick and rouge, "well dear, we're just happy to have you back," she said, and then gazed around the room, "don't you just love these faculty parties? They seem to always bring out the best in everyone."  
  
Jones glanced over at Manning, who still stood glaring at him, "Oh yeah," He said, "brings out the best in everybody."  
  
"Jones."  
  
The sound of the voice that now spoke to him from behind sent a slight chill up his spine. It was an unconscious reaction that he always seemed to experience whenever Professor L.P. Davis, the Arts and Humanities Department Head spoke to him. There was no rational reason for it; the man just gave him the creeps. Part of the reason might be because Professor Davis looked a bit like the personification of the 'undead'.  
  
Indy turned around, "Yes sir?" He said. Professor Davis could best be described as 'cadaver-like'. He was thin, with the skin of his face stretched tightly over the bones. He covered his balding head with an impossible comb-over of a few wispy strands of grey hair. Jones believed that if you looked the word 'stodgy' up in a dictionary, it most certainly should have a picture of Professor Davis there. He often ruled over the department like some kind of ultra- conservative despot. But Indy also suspected sometimes that the man might be senile.  
  
He looked Jones straight in the eye and spoke to him in a monotone, "One arm is all you need for me. Call me Susan."  
  
Indy was now convinced of the man's senility, "um, er, ex... excuse me sir?"  
  
The man kept staring into Jones' eyes, "Your cast," he said, and tapped on the plaster that encased Indy's left arm.  
  
Jones looked down and read one of the student signings on his cast that Davis now tapped on with his bony finger.  
  
One arm is all you need for me  
Call me  
Susan  
  
"Oh, that," Indy said.  
  
"Yes ...that," Davis said. "What kind of nonsense is that? And what's the idea with the rest of this...artwork all over it? And what in the devil have you been doing lately Jones?"  
  
"Well sir, um, you see some of my students wanted to sign my cast and, well, I guess maybe some of them may have gotten a little carried away."  
  
"Well don't you get carried away Jones. And before you go off on any more unexpected ...sabbaticals, you need to clear it through my office. Understood?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Indy breathed a sigh of relief when Davis moved on and left him alone; to continue his pursuit of the elusive graduate student he'd seen at the punchbowl. He needed another cup of eggnog too.  
  
After fifteen minutes of fruitless searching and mingling, Jones gave up on the girl. He met up with Marcus by the fireplace where Marcus was about to conduct a holiday toast to good friends, good luck, and good fortunes. Mrs. Leary smiled at him, flashing bedroom eyes that she'd left in the closet too long. Fortunately for her, Marcus didn't notice anyway.  
  
"Mr. Brody. Mr. Brody!" a voice called from the doorway.  
  
It was Irene. She was standing in the doorway with a young man dressed in the uniform of the Western Union Company.  
  
"Mr. Brody there's a telegram for you."  
  
Marcus stopped in mid toast. He looked over at Irene and nodded his head, then completed the toast, "Here's to good friends, good luck, and good fortunes!"  
  
All that were gathered in the circle before the fire touched their cups and then downed their drinks, followed by a spontaneous round of applause.  
  
Marcus then made his way over towards the Western Union delivery boy. Indiana Jones followed, his curiosity piqued.  
  
"Why are they delivering a telegram to you here Marcus? And how did they find you?" he asked.  
  
"I've no idea Indy," Marcus said, his own curiosity evident in his voice.  
  
"Mr. Marcus Brody?" The delivery boy asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm Marcus Brody."  
  
"Telegram Sir." The boy said, and thrust the piece of paper into his hand.  
  
"It comes 'ultra-urgent same day delivery'," the young man said, "the sender paid extra to make sure it got delivered today."  
  
Marcus looked at him, "yes well, thank you very much."  
  
"Took me two hours to track you down," the delivery boy said.  
  
Indiana Jones reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. He withdrew a dollar bill and gave it to the young man.  
  
"Thank YOU sir!" the boy said, and walked back out into the winter night.  
  
Marcus unfolded the telegram and started to read. His facial expressions registered concern, confusion, and then dismay, as he read through the printed yellow document.  
  
"What is it Marcus? Who's it from?"  
  
Marcus paused and then answered Indy's question, "It's from Scotland Yard." Jones brow furrowed.  
  
Marcus continued, "Apparently Lord Malboury has disappeared."  
  
Indy thought for a moment, and then said, "Lord Malboury? The most noted Egyptologist on the staff of the British Museum. I've read his books, I've studied his papers. He's probably the world's foremost authority on the New Kingdom and the Eighteenth Dynasty."  
  
"Apparently he's disappeared without a trace," Marcus said. He looked down at the yellow telegram and then up again, "well maybe not entirely without a trace. Scotland Yard is holding someone who they think is involved with the disappearance."  
  
"They have a suspect?" Jones asked.  
  
"Yes." Marcus answered, "But it is rather a curious suspect that they have." He said.  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
Marcus paused and raised his eyebrows, "Well, apparently it's none other than Queen Nefertiti herself."  
  
Jones wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly, "Did you say Queen Nefertiti?"  
  
"Yes I did," Marcus said, staring down at the yellow paper.  
  
"Did anyone tell them that Queen Nefertiti has been dead for more than three thousand years?"  
  
Marcus read it again, "Queen Nefertiti. That's what it says."  
  
With a perplexed look Marcus Brody passed the telegram to Indiana Jones. 


	14. On the Wings of Pegasus

14  
On the Wings of Pegasus  
3 days later   
Middle of the Atlantic Ocean  
  
The aircraft bobbed up and down like a cork in the choppy North Atlantic waters. Indiana Jones' stomach was protesting against the ceaseless, dizzying, sickening motion and threatened outright revolt. Despite his own calm appearance, the rather 'green' look to his countenance betrayed Marcus' feelings at the moment also.  
  
The refueling tanker stood off on the starboard side and the hoses had been hooked up and pumping fuel into the thirsty tanks of the Short S23C Empire Flying Boat for several minutes already. The aircraft was nearly full again; filled up with fuel for the second half of its Atlantic crossing.  
  
It was an experimental route. During the warmer months the normal New York to Southampton route of the Trans-Atlantic British Airways flying boat went by way of Newfoundland, Greenland, Iceland, and the Shetlands. But this route couldn't be used in the winter months due to the icing over of these ports of call, so BA was experimenting with the concept of stationing refueling tankers midway in the Atlantic. The route it took was via Newfoundland and Ireland, with a stop in mid Atlantic for fuel.  
  
Now the hoses were let go and reeled back aboard the tanker. Jones and Brody were both relieved to hear the sound of the four Bristol Pegasus radial piston engines cough, sputter, and then roar to life. The powerful engines, slung beneath the aircraft's one hundred and fourteen foot wing span, each provided 910 horse power, and after a rugged take off ride over the tossing seas the combined 3600 horsepower lifted the flying boat majestically out of the water, and back into its primary element. Like the fabled winged horse itself the craft soared back upwards and into the clouds.  
  
"I'm glad that's over," Jones said to Marcus after the airplane had leveled off and resumed its eastward course for the British Isles.  
  
"As am I," Marcus concurred.  
  
Just then the door to the salon cabin in which the two men sat, opened. The lone flight steward entered carrying a tray with two steaming cups of coffee, and all the fixings.  
  
"Compliments of the Captain gentlemen; along with his apologies for the rough seas during the refueling."  
  
"Well," Marcus answered the man, "unless the Captain is Poseidon himself, then he's nothing to apologize for. I found it all rather exciting actually."  
  
Indy threw Marcus a dubious look.  
  
The man chuckled, "Enjoy your coffee gentlemen. We should be landing in Bantry Bay Ireland in about five hours, and then it's on to Southampton. Now excuse me I've got to go attend to the rest of the passengers...all five of them."  
  
While the Short S23C Empire was capable of carrying up to seventeen passengers, its primary role was as a mail and light cargo plane, and to get even more fuel mileage for this experimental route, they limited the passengers to seven. Indy and Marcus enjoyed the entire salon cabin to themselves.  
  
Initially Marcus was to have made the trip alone. Scotland Yard requested him to assist them in the investigation of the disappearance of the British Museum's leading Egyptologist for two reasons: Firstly for his archaeological knowledge; for reasons not yet clear, Scotland Yard seemed to believe that Lord Malboury's disappearance was in some way connected to his work. And secondly because Marcus was a personal friend of Malboury's and had even worked with him on various past research on New Kingdom artifacts and tablets.  
  
But the first thing Marcus had done was to request Indy to accompany him and assist. Jones had agreed immediately; always willing to help his best friend. A few short, winter days, and a few cross-Atlantic telegrams to Scotland Yard later the two men found themselves streaking through the sky across the ocean at speeds in excess of one hundred and forty knots in the fastest, most modern method of transport known to man.  
  
As he poured sugar into his cup Marcus spoke to Indy, "As we were discussing before, the 18TH Dynasty of the New Kingdom produced not only some of the most extraordinary works, but also a much wider diversity of styles than were evident in perhaps any other period of Egyptian history."  
  
The photos and drawings that Jones studied from the large book on the table in front of him confirmed what Brody was saying.  
  
"Especially during the reign of Akhenaton," Jones said.  
  
"Yes, of course," Marcus said, "Akhenaton, the heretic king."  
  
Jones looked down at a photo of a beautifully stylized tablet carving of Queen Nefertiti, Akhenaton's wife, kissing her young daughter Meretaten. He couldn't help but be touched by the tenderness of the loving kiss. The figures seemed to come alive from the lifeless stone upon which they were carved.  
  
But the stone had been defaced. Like so many of the works and records carved during Akhenaton's reign, this piece had been defaced by the Amun priests after Akhenaton had died and the priests had regained their power over the Pharaohs, and the life of all Egyptians. They had sought to desecrate every monument associated with his reign, and to obliterate all memory of him and his queen who had committed what they deemed to be sacrilege against the religion of the Amun priests.  
  
Jones pointed to the photo, "Look here Marcus, see how they've deliberately hacked away the cartouches, and struck out the features of Nefertiti's face. And yet her lips kissing her daughter, and all of Meretaten's features are left unharmed."  
  
Marcus looked at it, "yes, very interesting. It's as if the vandal couldn't bring himself to destroy such a lovely, beautiful sight."  
  
"There's other examples here of Nefertiti kissing her daughters, and kissing her husband, the Pharaoh Akhenaton. And here is Akhenaton kissing his daughters as well. The style is so unlike anything before or after." Jones said as he studied the exquisite artworks from Akhenaton's reign.  
  
"Yes," Marcus said, "one can't help but think that there must have been a lot of love in the union of Akhenaton and Queen Nefertiti, and in their royal family life. One rarely sees such dramatically sensuous and naturalistic styling in Egyptian works as in those of the Akhenaton period."  
  
Marcus sipped his coffee and then continued, "So much love in the royal family, and yet they were so utterly hated by the priest class, and the conservative classes who supported the priests."  
  
Indy gazed out the window of the aircraft at the rising sun ahead of them, "Essentially Akhenaton turned religious life upside down. No longer were the priests, with their secrecy and their pantheon of deities to be worshipped. Instead, Akhenaton introduced a new religion, a whole new concept, the concept of one God, one almighty power."  
  
Marcus followed Jones' gaze out the window at the rising orb of the sun in the distance ahead, "Indeed. The almighty god of the sun, Re."  
  
Jones brought his eyes back down to the book again and sipped his coffee as he looked at a photo of a stone stele carved with an image of the royal family of Akhenaton, Nefertiti and their daughters. Above them hovered the orb of the Aton; the symbol of the sun god Re. Rays shone down from the Aton, symbolized by lines tipped with Ankh and Djed-like symbols.  
  
"But there is a theory isn't there Marcus; a theory that Lord Malboury was studying."  
  
Marcus nodded, "Lord Malboury postulated that perhaps it was not so much the God of the sun that Akhenaton worshipped, but rather the power of the sun."  
  
Jones looked out the window again, "the power of the sun." He spoke the words slowly, letting them linger on his tongue. It was as if the very words themselves manifested a force of their own.  
  
Marcus continued on, "You and I both know that the Amun priests maintained their hold on power throughout the long millennia of Dynastic Egypt through their secret knowledge of science and technology that they shared with no one. And of course it is widely believed that this knowledge that they went to extraordinary lengths to keep secret, came from an earlier civilization."  
  
Indy gave a wry smile, "it always comes back to Atlantis doesn't it Marcus."  
  
"Atlantis, the Osirean civilization, what ever you may wish to call it." Marcus answered him, "but we both know of the very real probability that the vast knowledge of an advanced civilization was passed on to the Egyptians after their own civilization was destroyed by a monumental cataclysm."  
  
Indy nodded his head, "The great flood that the bible talks about, the sinking of Atlantis that Plato describes, as well as too many other catastrophic destruction myths from all around the world to be a coincidence."  
  
Marcus nodded, and then spoke again, "This knowledge was kept secret by the priests so that they could keep their perpetual hold on power. But Akhenaton simply refused to play along with the Amun priests as his forefathers had for so many centuries. Basically he exposed them for the frauds that they essentially were, and in the process he learned much ancient knowledge of the priests, wresting it from their stranglehold of secrecy."  
  
As the plane cruised eastwards the sun rose rapidly and soon poured its warming rays into the cabin through the four circular windows. Indy and Marcus sat in silence for a few moments and sipped their coffee, luxuriating in the warmth of the cabin, knowing that the North Atlantic air outside was well below freezing.  
  
Jones picked up the discussion, "And Malboury believes that it was this knowledge of science and technology that formed the basis of Akhenaton's radical new religion."  
  
"Yes," Marcus said, "Lord Malboury contends that Akhenaton founded his new religion, based on the worship of this scientific knowledge."  
  
"That is why the priests hated the 'Heretic King' so much," Indy said, "and why they worked so diligently to depose him and erase all traces of his rule by tearing down his temples and monuments and defacing them after his death. Akhenaton had put them out of a job, so to speak."  
  
Marcus looked at Indy with a somber expression, "Malboury also believes that among the ancient knowledge of the priests was,...knowledge of the power of the sun itself."  
  
"The power of Re, represented by the Aton symbol," Indy said, pointing to the photo in the book. It showed Queen Nefertiti and Akhenaton basking in the rays of the Aton hovering over them. Then he looked up, "What do you think Marcus? Do you believe that the Egyptians may have had such knowledge of the power of the sun, and if so, what exactly was it, and how did they use it?"  
  
Marcus spread his hands and shrugged, "The priests kept their secrets well."  
  
"There are men today who want to unlock the power of the sun Marcus."  
  
"Yes," Marcus said, "that fascinating gentleman at Princeton comes to mind."  
  
Jones held a pensive expression for a moment, and then said, "Yes and unfortunately there's that ...gentleman... in Berlin....," he let his sentence trail off, but the meaning was clear.  
  
Jones then returned the discussion to the 'Heretic Pharaoh', "After his death Akhenaton was succeeded by Tutankhaton, the boy king. The boy was like putty in the hands of the priests; even changing his name from Tutankhaton to Tutankhamun to symbolize his loyalty to the priests and the restoration of the old religion.  
  
"Yes," Marcus said, "or as he is better known as...King Tut. The priests regained their power, and their lock on all the secret knowledge," then he smiled at Indy, "they were back on the job, so to speak."  
  
The plane rumbled through some minor turbulence, bouncing and bucking a little. It was not enough to be too concerned about, but enough for Jones and Brody to pick up their coffee cups so as not to spill them.  
  
Indy looked over at Marcus, "so what of Queen Nefertiti?"  
  
Marcus glanced out the window and then turned to Indy, "well of course Queen Nefertiti survived her husband. She lived out her remaining years alone and lonely. She must have been saddened to watch as the Amun priests regained their power and defaced the temples, stelae, and other monuments that had glorified the reign of her and her husband."  
  
Jones smiled at Marcus for a moment and took another sip of his coffee, "I wasn't referring to the Queen Nefertiti of three thousand years ago Marcus, I was referring to our Queen Nefertiti; the one who now sits in a Scotland Yard holding cell."  
  
Marcus just shook his head a little, "that I can't say for sure. But we shall soon see, shan't we?" 


	15. British Museum part 1

15  
British Museum (Part 1)  
The next day   
Bloomsbury district, London England  
  
Indiana Jones, Marcus Brody, and a third man exited the dark Bentley sedan and made their way across a small courtyard. The three men were buffeted by the blustery, London winter wind as they approached and entered the British Museum through a side door marked 'Staff Only". When they entered they proceeded down a long corridor and then through a door that led into the Museum's main library. Jones gazed around the large library as he loosened the winter scarf he wore around his neck. Despite the many times he'd used the museum's library for his research he was still always impressed by the rows upon rows of volumes that reached upwards to the high ceiling above. Many of the volumes dealt with the study of Egyptology and Egyptian antiquities. Indeed the collection of Egyptian antiquities and the storehouse of knowledge possessed by the British Museum were unrivaled in the entire world.  
  
"Professor Brody, Doctor Jones, welcome to England," a balding, grey haired, grey mustached gentleman approached them and put out his hand.  
  
Marcus shook his hand and said, "Oh, John you know I can't stay away from my homeland, and my old stomping grounds for too long,"  
  
"I trust that Niles was able to find you alright, and that your trip up from Southampton was comfortable," the man said, and then turned to Indy, "Welcome to England Doctor Jones."  
  
"Feels kind of like home to me in a way too," Indiana Jones said as he warmly shook the hand of John Allenby, the Egyptian antiquities curator, "I've spent quite a bit of time in this library myself as you know, though it's been a while."  
  
"Well then," Allenby said, "I guess I should have said welcome BACK to England," the man then looked at Indy's artfully decorated cast, "hello, what's happened to your arm then?"  
  
"I ran into a little trouble in the Andes last month," Jones answered, knowing that would be enough for Allenby, who was known as quite the adventurer himself in the years before the Great War.  
  
Allenby nodded knowingly, "Yes, yes, I understand. Well then Gentlemen, though I am indeed glad to see you both..., the reason for your visit is not altogether cheery then is it?"  
  
"Any word?" Marcus asked with concern in his voice. Allenby shook his head and looked down at the floor, "No," he said simply, "but please come this way," he gestured for them to follow towards another door at the back wall of the library.  
  
Jones and Brody followed as Allenby spoke, "Inspector Davies awaits us in the study. He will be able to inform you better of the situation, and I believe he has some questions for you as well."  
  
The three men passed through the library and then through the door on the back wall. They entered the museum study. It was a room set off from the library and for the use of museum staff, or distinguished guests only. The room was furnished in the finest Victorian and leather furniture. A blazing fire crackled in the large fireplace that threw out enough heat for several rooms. Over the mantle hung a huge, framed photograph of the golden coffin of Tutankhamun. It was a remarkable photo in that it was in full, living color, using a brand new technology just being developed. The boy king's image with its brilliant gold and blue hues, stared out with heavily lined eyes; arms crossed on the chest with the crook and flail, the symbols of Egyptian power, clutched in his grasps.  
  
"Color photography," Marcus said with a slight chuckle of incredulity, "what will they come up with next?"  
  
Indiana Jones hung up his scarf, coat, and fedora and sat down in a comfortable smoking chair next to a large bust of the jackal-headed god Anubis. Then he thought better of it and changed to another leather easy chair; considering that it was the god Anubis who welcomed the dead into the netherworld. Jones felt he'd had too many close calls lately to take any unnecessary chances.  
  
A tall, angular man squatted before the fireplace with his back to them feeding a fresh stack of logs into the inferno. After the last of the fresh fuel was set on to the blaze he stood up and turned around.  
  
"Gentlemen, good afternoon, I'm Inspector Davies, of the Yard."  
  
Davies was tall, to say the least. His long body was bony, very nearly to the point of being ungainly, and yet he carried himself with a grace that was almost effeminate. Needless to say his nose was long, thin, and slightly crooked. His eyes were rather cold and set close together; or perhaps that was just an illusion created by the length of his nose. Either way, the man struck Jones as cold, hard, and businesslike; a man who didn't like to waste time. But the man also appeared to Jones to be somewhat of a poser.  
  
Indy stood up to shake his hand. Davies cast a dubious look on Jones' decorated cast.  
  
"Inspector Davies, it's a pleasure to meet you," though Jones felt no real pleasure as he shook the bony hand that was presented to him. The flesh was tight, and still hot from the heat of the fire, and Indy had the odd feeling that he was shaking the hand of something...other than human.  
  
Marcus shook hands as well, and then Indy, Marcus, and Allenby sat back down. Davies remained standing, and began to pace slowly back and forth in front of the fireplace. He withdrew a long cigarette holder and inserted a cigarette into it.  
  
As Indiana Jones watched the man he thought to himself that with the possible exception of President Roosevelt, he'd never liked any man that used a cigarette holder. Without fail, in Jones experience such men had proven to be either cruel, dangerous, or both.  
  
"Mr. Brody, what can you tell me about the Pharaoh Akhenaton?" Davies said, and then lit his cigarette.  
  
"What would you like to know inspector?"  
  
Davies threw him a stony look, "just what I asked Mr. Brody. What can you tell me about this famous Pharaoh?"  
  
Marcus shook his head imperceptibly, "well, I...," he cleared his throat, "well Akhenaton was Pharaoh during the 18TH Dynasty, between 1400 and 1300 BC."  
  
Davies drew on his cigarette and sucked the smoke into his lungs, "more than 3000 years ago then," he said.  
  
"Yes," Marcus said, "his rule was marked by an attempt to radically change the religion of the Egyptians from that which they had worshipped for millennia. For this he was hated by the priests, whom he wished to depose from their position of authority and power. Akhenaton's new religion did away with the pantheon of gods, and the ceremonial life that the priests had exercised over the people of Egypt since the earliest Pharaohs. He replaced it all with the worship of a single deity, the god of the sun, Re."  
  
"I see," said Davies. And then he gave Marcus a look that indicated that he wished to hear more.  
  
Marcus continued, "Akhenaton moved the capital of Egypt from Thebes to a new city that he had built, the city of Aketaton, near El Amarna. It served as the religious center of Akhenaton's new visionary religion."  
  
"What of this religion?" Davies asked vaguely.  
  
"Well, as I said, rather than worship any pantheon of deities, Akhenaton's religion worshipped only the one god, Re, the god of the sun. They also believed in reincarnation rather than immortality; a very significant break with the old ways. They believed that the process of mummification imprisoned the spirit, the Ka, of a person forever. They believed that the way to free the Ka was through cremation."  
  
"No mummies? No tombs?" Davies asked.  
  
"Oh there were certainly tombs, but no mummies, only ashes." Marcus said, then he spoke directly to the Scotland Yard Inspector, "But Inspector Davies, with Professor Allenby and the wealth of information at your fingertips here in the museum, you surely didn't request me to come all the way across the Atlantic just to ask about the 18TH Dynasty."  
  
Davies stroked his angular chin while his cigarette, on the end of its long holder, stuck out from his mouth like some kind of strange stalk of incense, "In time Mr. Brody, in time."  
  
The policeman picked up the fireplace poker and did some rearranging of the logs and embers," Yes well, I suppose I should come more to the point then shouldn't I," he said finally.  
  
"I only want to help find Richard Malboury before any harm comes to him, if it hasn't already," Marcus said.  
  
"Well Mr. Brody as of this time The Yard does not believe that Lord Malboury has met with foul play. We are treating it as a kidnapping unless further developments indicate otherwise."  
  
Jones and Brody nodded as they sat on the comfortable furniture. A loud pop in the fire threw up a small shower of sparks, an incongruous fireworks display in the serious atmosphere of the study.  
  
Davies continued speaking, "One of the reasons we suspect this is a kidnapping rather than foul play is that we believe the kidnappers want Lord Malboury for his knowledge."  
  
"Knowledge of what?" Marcus asked.  
  
"Well that's where you come in Mr. Brody. You worked with Lord Richard Malboury in his investigations of certain theories concerning the Pharaoh Akhenaton and the 18TH Dynasty."  
  
Marcus nodded his head, "yes I did ...but it's been quite some time ...and nothing was ever proven...."  
  
"Would you care to expound on those theories Mr. Brody?" Davies said as he finally sat down. Marcus paused and took a deep breath, as if gathering resources from within for the task that lay ahead. Then he spoke, "Well as I said, Akhenaton and his religion were diametrically opposed to the priests who had exercised immense power over Egypt for millennia. You must understand that the Amun priests were probably the most secretive sect ever in the history of mankind. They guarded their secrets, and their 'magic' with such elaborate measures that it bordered on paranoia. They had their sacred rites and rituals. They had their deities...one of them stands beside you as we speak," Marcus motioned at the statue beside Davies' chair.  
  
"What do the Amun priests have to do with it?" Davies asked, nonplussed by the looming figure of Anubis standing mute next to him.  
  
"Everything," Marcus said simply, and then continued on, "Besides magic, and rituals, and the like, above all the priests were the keepers of sacred knowledge. And they did not share this knowledge with anyone; hence their hold on power, and their power over the pharaohs."  
  
Just then the door opened and a middle aged woman entered the room with a fully laden tea tray.  
  
"Tea time gentlemen," she said in a cheery voice as she set the tray down on the table in front of the blazing fire.  
  
Jones took a quick glance at his pocket watch, "yes, we are in England after all aren't we."  
  
A child of five or six then ran into the room. The middle aged woman turned, and then good naturedly scolded the child, "Sarah! I thought I told you to wait outside you naughty girl."  
  
"But I don't want to wait outside mother, I'm a secret agent, I've got to investigate."  
  
Professor Allenby turned to the girl, "Investigate eh? Now where does a little girl like you pick up such big words?"  
  
She gave him a steadfast look, "I'm going to be a secret agent when I grow up, just like my friend James. He's the little boy across the street."  
  
Marcus patted the little girl on the head, "I'm sure you and your friend James will both make fabulous secret agents."  
  
All of the men smiled, all except Davies who sat and stared expressionless into the fire. He seemed more annoyed than amused by the little girl. Jones took notice. Cigarette holder...doesn't like children..., he was beginning to like Inspector Davies less and less. "Come along now Sarah," the woman called to her daughter after she'd finished setting the tea.  
  
"Thank you very much for the tea Mrs. Montypenny," Allenby said as the woman and her little girl left the room and closed the door.  
  
"You were speaking of the Amun priests Mr. Brody," Davies ignored the tea and seemed impatient to continue the discussion.  
  
"Yes, the secret knowledge that the Amun priests coveted and protected so much...," Marcus paused to stir sugar into his tea, "Well Inspector, suffice it to say that there are many who believe that the Amun priests of ancient Egypt possessed knowledge of sciences and technologies that we today do not even possess."  
  
"Nonsense, how is that possible?" Davies said as he finally gave in to the sweet aroma of the tea, something no Englishman worth his salt could resist. He leaned forward in his chair and prepared a cup for himself.  
  
Marcus said, "It is believed by some that Dynastic Egypt was founded by the descendents, survivors rather, of a technologically advanced civilization that perished in some sort of earth cataclysm at a more distant time in the past."  
  
"More nonsense," Davies said in a disdainful monotone.  
  
Marcus was annoyed by the policeman's comments, "Look Inspector, if you're going to deem all that I say to be 'nonsense', then why don't I just make arrangements to return to New York and....."  
  
Indiana Jones interrupted, "If I may Inspector....there is evidence that the ancient Egyptians may have possessed advanced technologies....electricity, engineering sciences, chemical and biological...technologies that were maybe even more advanced in certain areas than ours today. The reason that these technologies were lost was because the priests were so overzealous in their protection of them. To allow the common people to have knowledge of these technologies would have taken away from the priests the very source of their power."  
  
"Alright," the Inspector conceded the possibility for the sake of the discussion, "but please do get to the theory of Lord Malboury if you will."  
  
"In time inspector," Marcus said, and then continued on, "Lord Malboury believes that Akhenaton and his Queen, Nefertiti, breeched the impenetrable wall of secrecy that surrounded the priests and discovered many of the wondrous technologies that the priests had kept to themselves for so long. He believes that among the most important and powerful sciences, or technologies, or what you may call it that Akhenaton learned of was the power of the sun itself. And it was this knowledge of the power of the sun that Akhenaton based his religion on." Davies sat mutely for a few moments and then said, "Is there more?"  
  
"Yes," Marcus said, "There's more," then he paused to refresh his tea. When he finished, he went on with his discussion, "There is a legend, passed down through the pharaohs, all the way to the time of the Roman conquest and the age of Cleopatra. The legend says that while Akhenaton was pharaoh he secretly commissioned the creation of three stelae; large stone tablets upon which were inscribed a very long and detailed text."  
  
"What was this text concerned with?" Davies asked.  
  
"The power of the sun," Marcus answered.  
  
Davies appeared a bit vexed, "What the devil is this power of the sun that you talk about Mr. Brody?"  
  
"That I don't know. But Lord Malboury believes that the legend is true. And he sought to find the location of these tablets...to discover the answer to the very same question you pose."  
  
"You believe the legend too don't you Mr. Brody? Because you worked with Malboury didn't you; on this very same project?"  
  
"Yes, but that was a long time ago. When I left to return to the United States our research was still ...inconclusive."  
  
"Do you know who else might be interested in these tablets, and this 'power of the sun' Mr. Brody?"  
  
Marcus spread his hands and absently shook his head, "Well, I don't know. I suppose anyone who has a great interest in the powers of the ancients would have an interest in the tablets and their text."  
  
Davies reached into his vest pocket and withdrew a small, thin, brown book. He held it up for a moment and then tossed it on to the center of the table where it landed with an ominous little thud, nearly knocking over Indiana Jones' tea.  
  
"Does this give you any hint?" Davies said.  
  
All eyes looked down at the book. There, emblazoned on the cover was the Eagle and Swastika of Nazi Germany.  
  
"What is that?" Jones asked him.  
  
"It's a code book Mr. Jones. We discovered it in the possession of Queen Nefertiti... when we arrested her." 


	16. British Museum part 2

16  
British Museum (Part 2)  
  
"Nazis," Jones said the word with a simple sternness that conveyed a myriad of emotions and images; none of them good.  
  
"Yes Mr. Jones, Nazis." Davies echoed him as he looked down upon the Nazi code book on the table before them.  
  
"But who in the world is this Queen Nefertiti that you mentioned in your telegram, and that you talk about now?" Marcus asked, "Good heavens man, Queen Nefertiti has been dead for over three thousand years!"  
  
"Obviously Mr. Brody it is not the real Queen Nefertiti that sits in our jail as we speak. But it is a woman who has claimed to be her."  
  
"Perhaps I can explain Marcus," John Allenby leaned forward in his chair with a slightly pained expression on his face, as if about to reveal something he'd rather not.  
  
"I wish someone would," Indy said.  
  
Allenby paused for a moment, but the pained expression remained, "You see gentlemen, well, Lord Malboury always had a tendency toward the sensational. He believed in such things as clairvoyance, the spirit world, and such. In the past though, he just had a mild interest, more as a hobby, or a diversion really than anything else."  
  
Allenby scanned the blank faces of Jones and Brody and realized he needed to come to the point a bit more efficiently. He let out an exasperated breath, "I don't know," he shook his head, "maybe it was his obsession with his research. Sometimes I think he pushed himself too hard. I don't know what it was, but somehow Lord Malboury made the acquaintance of this woman who claimed that the spirit of Queen Nefertiti spoke through her."  
  
"And he believed her," Marcus said.  
  
"Yes Marcus, he did." Allenby nodded his head, "Before long she was a regular fixture at his side, 'assisting' him with his research, coming here, and working with him in this museum." Allenby was now shaking his head, "It came very close to being outright scandalous!"  
  
"Yes, yes, I can imagine," Marcus said.  
  
"But who is this woman?" Jones spoke up, "What do we know of her? And is she a Nazi?"  
  
Davies spoke, "Well Mr. Jones to answer your questions in turn: she's a gypsy tart, we know very little about her, and I think that code book on the table speaks for itself."  
  
"Did you say she was a gypsy?" Indy asked.  
  
"Yes, a gypsy. And besides the code book, we also found a small wireless set in the trailer in which she lived, near Watford, on the outskirts of London. There's a small trailer village of the bastards out that way. It paints a pretty clear picture."  
  
"Bastards?" Jones looked over at Davies, surprised to hear the man use the off-color expression.  
  
Davies threw back a look that was both cold and sardonic, "bastards, pikeys, gypsies, call them what you like. They're a bunch of whores, thieves, criminals and parasites, and this particular one also happens to be a spy."  
  
Indiana Jones was a bit taken aback at the blunt nature of Davies' reference to the woman, and gypsies in general. It was as if the man had momentarily let down his guard of respectability to reveal something ugly inside.  
  
"Did she live alone?" Jones asked, "Was anyone else arrested with her?"  
  
Davies gave what Indy thought was an almost imperceptible little chuckle, "Well, there was an old woman with her in the trailer when we arrested her, but unfortunately the crone died of heart failure right there on the spot. Pity, we might have been able to get some information out of her. The young woman we arrested has been singularly stubborn and uncooperative."  
  
"Heart failure?" Indy said, a little surprised at the way Davies described someone's death with so little regard.  
  
"I guess she couldn't take all the excitement," he answered coldly.  
  
For a few short moments no one spoke, and all that could be heard was the sound of the cold wind outside rattling the window glass and the warm fire crackling away on the oversized hearth. Then Davies spoke again.  
  
"Have any of you gentleman ever heard of a man named Von Steudl?"  
  
"Fritz Von Steudl?" Marcus asked.  
  
"Yes, Fritz, I suppose that's his first name, yes." Davies answered.  
  
"Fritz Von Steudl is a German archaeologist." Indiana Jones said.  
  
"So he's another one of ....you gentlemen?" Davies said with an almost accusatory tone.  
  
"I thought I'd already told you about Professor Von Steudl Inspector," Allenby said.  
  
"Yes, so you had," Davies said, "but I wanted to know if your two American colleagues knew him as well."  
  
"Professor Fritz Von Steudl was a distinguished German archaeologist," Indy spoke to Davies, "Like a lot of other German archaeologists he did a lot of fine work in the past. But, you know, since 1933, well...."  
  
"You are referring to Herr Hitler's ascension to power Mr. Jones?"  
  
"Yes Inspector, Herr Hitler. Since he and his Nazi henchmen have come to power all of the arts, sciences ...and everything else in Germany are poisoned by their ideology. Every scientist, including every archaeologist, tows the party line. If they don't, then they don't work, or worse.... And Herr Hitler has a particularly keen interest in archaeology."  
  
"You seem sure about that."  
  
"Oh yeah, I'm sure. I've run into those guys before." Jones said.  
  
"Well you'd be interested to know that about two months before his disappearance Lord Malboury corresponded by mail with this Von Steudl."  
  
"Are you insinuating that Lord Malboury may have Nazi sympathies?" Allenby was indignant.  
  
"No Mr. Allenby, I'm not." Davies answered, "But I find it interesting that it was shortly after this correspondence that our gypsy Queen Nefertiti showed up."  
  
Indiana Jones nodded, seeing the clear correlation.  
  
Marcus spoke up, "Richard Malboury was always a very trusting man."  
  
"Gullible might be more like it," Davies said, "and it may have been his downfall."  
  
"So Scotland Yard thinks that Malboury was kidnapped by the Nazis in order to help them find these ...Sun Tablets?" Jones said, using the new term for the first time.  
  
"Yes. Well, we theorized that he had been taken for his archaeological knowledge, and now that Mr. Brody has explained about these Tablets, it seems to be the most logical and likely theory."  
  
The wind outside blew harder on the windowpanes and a few flakes of light, dry, dusty snow swirled through the naked branches of trees that bent sorrowfully with the wind. As Indiana Jones stared out through the rattling window he felt a strange sympathy for the trees; doomed to live out their lives in one place, bearing the burden of winter, never able to come inside and warm their limbs by the fire, a fire fueled by the broken pieces of their own dead brethren.  
  
A vision of the pyre of forsaken souls in the Inca death pit flashed through Jones' mind for an instant, and then was gone.  
  
"Mr. Brody, since you worked closely with Lord Malboury on this research into these...Sun Tablets..., perhaps you could tell me in what direction your research was taking you."  
  
Marcus cast his thoughts back, "Well, it has been some time, but I remember that one of the critical links we were searching for were the writings of a certain Roman historian, Grachius Calvertus."  
  
"Roman?"  
  
"Yes, as I told you earlier Inspector, the story of the Sun Tablets was passed down through the Pharaohs, all the way to the time of the Roman conquest of Egypt. Grachius Calvertus was a Roman historian who traveled throughout Egypt in the century before Christ."  
  
Davies furrowed his brow in thought for a moment, "forgive me if my arithmetic fails me, but wouldn't that be more than a thousand years after the reign of Akhenaton."  
  
"Your arithmetic does not fail you Inspector. Indeed it would be more than twelve centuries after Akhenaton and Nefertiti ruled Egypt."  
  
"So how does this Grachius fellow figure into anything?"  
  
"He was an historian." Marcus stated, "He traveled throughout Egypt. He was fascinated by its history and monuments and he wrote about it for the Roman populous who had quite a fascination for the great empire that preceded their own."  
  
Marcus paused for a moment to sip his tea, and then continued on, "Grachius Calvertus wrote about the Sun Tablets of Akhenaton and Nefertiti. In fact, Grachius even said that he had been taken to see their location by a certain mysterious Greek-Egyptian named Spyropo who claimed to be descended from the blood line of Queen Nefertiti."  
  
"So where were the Tablets?" Inspector Davies spread his bony hands, "or rather where are they?"  
  
"That is the question Inspector," Marcus answered, "Lord Malboury and I searched through as many records of Grachius Calvertus as could be found, but could only find a few vague references."  
  
Davies pulled another cigarette out and affixed it to his long, thin, holder, "But I thought you'd said that this Roman fellow had written about them."  
  
"Yes, he did, but most of our evidence is gathered from bits and pieces. One of the most compelling evidences that we do have is a writing from Calvertus' friend, the playwright Brutus Dorsius."  
  
"Wasn't he the lad who killed Julius Caesar?" Davies asked.  
  
Marcus smiled, "No Inspector that was a different Brutus."  
  
Davies lit his cigarette and inhaled deeply, "well, what of this writing?"  
  
"Well Inspector, my memory is good, but not quite that good, so if you'll please accompany me to the library I will endeavor to answer your question."  
  
With that the four men stood up and proceeded as a group back out into the spacious, cathedral-like library.  
  
Marcus Brody led the way. There was a certain sparkle in his eye as he walked among the towering shelves lined with such immense numbers of books; each a capsule of knowledge waiting patiently and uncomplaining for a human hand to come and open the doors to wisdom that they alone held the key to. Like a person at one with his element Brody walked through the halls of shelves, glancing up, down, and around as he went. Like a sea captain reading the winds, waves and swells of the sea, Marcus navigated his way through, and finally came to a stop before one of the ubiquitous walls of books and looked up.  
  
"Indy, could you fetch me a ladder?"  
  
"Sure Marcus," Indiana Jones walked a short distance and with his one good arm pulled over one of the many wheeled ladders provided for browsing the higher shelves.  
  
"Watch your step there old man!" Allenby joked at Marcus.  
  
"Who's the old man here?" Marcus answered back with a smile as he ascended the ladder's steps, "you've seen more birthdays than all of us here put together John."  
  
Allenby and Jones chuckled. Davies pulled hard on his cigarette and watched as Marcus reach for an old, leather bound book and then descended back down.  
  
"Right where I last left it," Brody said with a grin.  
  
Marcus flipped open the volume and fingered his way rapidly through its pages with a practiced efficiency. A few moments later he found what he was looking for.  
  
Marcus spoke to the other three men, "Alright now, understand that this is a passage from one of Dorsius' plays. It's actually more of a soliloquy, with Dorsius himself answering a series of rhetorical questions of his Greek slave Nikos.  
  
'NIKOS: And what of the power of the Gods? Should not Man possess the powers of the Gods if they are within his reach? Should Man not take for his own that which the Gods have foolishly allowed to fall into the hands of Man? DORSIUS: That which belongs to the Gods belongs to the Gods. That which belongs to man belongs to man. The wise man knows the difference and resists the temptation. Take my good friend Grachius Calvertus, wise and knowing man of letters. In the land of the pharaohs did Grachius come upon the power of the sun itself, shown to him by one of your own half brothers. Grachius documented this sacred place on a fine papyrus, determined to bring news of it to Rome. But along the way the wisdom that had escaped him returned, and he buried the scroll in the temple, returning to the Gods that which belonged to the Gods.  
  
Marcus slowly closed the book.  
  
"What temple?" Davies asked appearing slightly vexed again.  
  
"What temple indeed," Marcus answered simply, "it is a question that occupied me and Lord Malboury to great lengths, without an answer."  
  
Davies lit yet another cigarette and inhaled deeply. As he spoke he let the smoke out along with his words, "Let me see if I understand correctly. This Grachius fellow drew up some kind of a map of sorts to where these...Sun Tablets are located?"  
  
"We believe so, yes," Marcus said.  
  
Davies continued, "But then he grew superstitious or whatnot and he buried the scroll in some temple somewhere?"  
  
"Apparently." Marcus answered simply.  
  
"Look gentlemen, this has been quite an interesting trip into the past, but unlike you learned scholars of the Ancients I must concentrate my thoughts upon the present. And presently that means trying to get to the bottom of the disappearance of Lord Malboury. I'm not so sure that today's interesting conversation has brought me any closer to that," Davies said as he walked back towards the study to collect his coat and hat.  
  
"Just a moment," Allenby said, raising his finger up and drawing all of their attentions.  
  
The other three men turned to the British Museum's Egyptian antiquities curator.  
  
"I hadn't mentioned it before because I didn't think it was worth the bother. I really didn't see how there could possibly be any connection, but now that you're talking about Roman playwrights and historians, well......"  
  
"Yes?" Marcus said.  
  
"Well, what is it man?" Davies appeared impatient.  
  
Allenby continued, "Last week, just a couple of days before Lord Malboury disappeared the museum received some Latin papyrus scrolls. They were hand delivered by an Italian man directly to Lord Malboury, and as I recall he seemed rather excited about receiving them. But as I was rather busy that day with the 4TH Dynasty sculptures I really didn't give it a second thought."  
  
Indy looked at Marcus who looked back at him, and then at Inspector Davies.  
  
"Where are these scrolls now Mr. Allenby?" Davies asked him.  
  
"I don't know. Perhaps in Malboury's office, if they're still here at all."  
  
Before the words were out of Allenby's mouth Davies was striding towards the door of the library. As lead Investigator he knew exactly where Malboury's office was. Jones, Brody, and Allenby followed.  
  
It was past closing time now. The short winter day was fading as the sun set to the west; or as the ancient Egyptians believed, the god Re was preparing for his daily descent, and passage through the Underworld.  
  
The corridors of the museum were now dimly lit by the electric lighting alone. The mens' footsteps echoed off a menagerie of glass display cases holding a fabulous multitude of priceless treasures. After a lengthy journey through the hallowed halls of the museum they descended a curving stairway that led down into the museum's basement.  
  
The basement of the British Museum was itself like some kind of immense and labyrinthine tomb. Its walls, shelves, and corridors were lined with a multitude of artifacts that sat mute and collecting dust; whose value was either deemed unworthy of display above, or as was sometimes the case, whose value was not yet recognized. Many artifacts displayed above with much fuss and gaudy lighting had spent years being ignored, in penance, in the basement of the British Museum. The private offices of several museum staff were also located down here, among them that of Lord Richard Malboury.  
  
Malboury's office was not very big. It reminded Jones of his own office at Barnett College. All of the trappings one would expect of an archaeologist's office were there, right down to the roll-top desk; except that Malboury had a telephone, Jones did not. A framed photograph of a smiling Malboury standing before the Temple of Karnak hung on the wall.  
  
The four men fell upon the office like a pack of bloodhounds. Though it had been carefully searched before, no one at that time was looking with any keen interest for any Roman papyrus scrolls. But it didn't take long for the men to come up empty handed. There were no scrolls to be found.  
  
"Yes well I'm not surprised," Davies said after they were finished searching, "As I said before gentlemen, this has been quite interesting," he glanced at his pocket watch, "but I must be getting back down to my own office at the Yard. Among other things I've got to write a daily report. You gentlemen are welcome to continue your search through the past, but I've got to return to the twentieth century. If we're to find Lord Malboury then we need to know where to look. I was hoping that our discussions today might have shed some light on that, but I do believe that if anything I am slightly more confused than before."  
  
"I'm sorry Inspector," Marcus said sincerely.  
  
"Oh don't worry chaps, there's always tomorrow isn't there."  
  
"I hope there is for Malboury," Indy mumbled under his breath.  
  
"I trust that you gentlemen can be in my Scotland Yard office by ten tomorrow morning. I expect you'll be able to assist me in drawing up some kind of plan for finding our missing man." Davies said as he walked toward the door of Malboury's office.  
  
"Certainly," Marcus said.  
  
"Ten o'clock," Allenby nodded.  
  
Jones just nodded his agreement, then as Davies turned to leave he called after the Scotland Yard policeman, "Inspector Davies."  
  
Davies turned, "Yes?"  
  
Jones hesitated for a moment and then said, "I want to meet Queen Nefertiti."  
  
Davies looked curiously at Indiana Jones for a moment and then said, "Why is that Mr. Jones?"  
  
"I guess I want to see if she's the real thing."  
  
"You know Queen Nefertiti personally then?" Davies asked with a hint of sarcasm.  
  
"Maybe," Jones answered.  
  
Davies cocked his head slightly with one raised eyebrow and then nodded to Indy, "Alright, I'm sure it can be arranged," then he walked out the door. 


	17. Scotland Yard

17  
Scotland Yard  
  
The next morning found the four men together again, but this time they were on the policeman's turf, Scotland Yard. They were gathered in Inspector Davies' office and there was a fifth man as well.  
  
"Gentlemen this is Agent Lawrence Elliot," Davies introduced the man, "he's from MI5."  
  
"His Majesty's Secret Service," Marcus said as he shook the man's hand, appraising him with a mix of curiosity and admiration, "very pleased to meet you sir."  
  
"And I to meet all of you," Elliot said as he shook Allenby's, and then Jones' hand.  
  
Elliot was a pleasant man in his mid thirties. He was on the favorable side of handsome, and had an engaging smile and warm handshake.  
  
"So what brings MI5 in to the case?" Marcus asked without hesitation.  
  
Davies answered before Agent Elliot could, "Gentlemen this case is taking on a more...international flavor, and MI5 has graciously agreed to assist."  
  
The museum curators and the archaeologist nodded.  
  
"Well then," Davies stood up and began to pace slowly in front of them. He placed his fingertips together as he spoke, "as to the crux of our meeting here this morning...we are assuming that Lord Malboury has been kidnapped by certain parties who wish for him to assist them in recovering this archaeological artifact, or I should say artifacts...these Sun Tablets."  
  
"Certain parties?" Jones said, "Why don't you just call them what they are...Nazis."  
  
Elliot now spoke, "You must understand Mr. Jones that such accusations would carry political ramifications that might be...unpleasant for the Prime Minister. While we are pursuing this case with the notion that there may be some...German nationals involved, we can not assume that there is any involvement by Herr Hitler's government."  
  
"Maybe you can't..." Jones mumbled.  
  
Davies cleared his throat, "As I was saying, we are assuming that the parties who have kidnapped Lord Malboury most likely have taken him out of the country, and are in search of these Tablets even as we speak."  
  
"What you're saying is that they've probably taken him to Egypt." Marcus said.  
  
"Precisely. And while still a part of the British Empire, Egypt is nonetheless out of my jurisdiction so to speak," Davies answered, "which is why MI5 is involved, and why I am asking you, Mr. Brody to accompany Agent Elliot to Egypt to assist him in his efforts."  
  
Marcus looked over at Elliot, "You would like for me to assist you?"  
  
"Your knowledge of Malboury's research will be extremely valuable," Elliot nodded.  
  
"Besides Mr. Brody, it's not a request," Davies said as he lit one of his ubiquitous cigarettes and blew out the match.  
  
"I see," said Marcus. Then he motioned over towards Indy, "What of my colleague Doctor Jones?"  
  
"I'm sorry Mr. Brody but we want only you," Davies answered him, "We don't want too many archaeologists muddling things up; this is a police matter after all," he added arrogantly.  
  
Indiana Jones threw him a stony look.  
  
Davies took a deep drag on his cigarette and spoke with 'smoke breath' once again, "You'll be leaving in the morning Mr. Brody," he said, and then closed his mouth to allow the rest of the exhaling smoke to flow out of his nostrils like some kind of fire breathing dragon.  
  
"Sorry for the short notice Professor Brody but we believe that time is of the essence." Elliot said apologetically.  
  
Brody pursed his lips for just a moment and then said, "Not to worry Mr. Elliot; for King, Country, and of course Richard Malboury, I'll be more than happy to assist in any way that I can."  
  
"Thank you," Elliot said.  
  
"Where will you look?" Indiana Jones asked an obvious but unresolved question.  
  
Elliot looked at Marcus, "That's where you come in Professor. Where do you believe we should begin?"  
  
"My best guess would be perhaps the area around El Amarna, or possibly further up the Nile at Abydos, the Valley of the Kings, or even Luxor. Richard had many theories on the location of the Tablets."  
  
"Well, we leave for Cairo in the morning. But if you don't mind Professor Brody I'd like to go over some important issues with you at MI5 headquarters right now. I'll drive you back to Professor Allenby's after we're done and you can get ready to leave in the morning."  
  
"Certainly," Marcus said, "I'm at your disposal." Then Brody looked over at Jones, "Indy?"  
  
"Oh don't worry about me Marcus; I'll catch up with you back at John's house later. I've still got some business of my own to attend to here."  
  
Marcus looked at him curiously as the men got up to leave.  
  
"And I suppose I'll get back to my beloved 4TH Dynasty sculptures back at the museum," Allenby said.  
  
Indiana Jones then spoke to Davies, "Inspector Davies you remember my request yesterday?"  
  
Davies looked at him, "Oh yes, of course, you want to speak with our illustrious Queen Nefertiti don't you. You're only wasting your time though, she won't say a word. She claims to know nothing of Malboury's disappearance. But then those people are the most proficient liars on earth aren't they."  
  
"Oh there are probably many candidates for that honor," Indy answered.  
  
Davies stepped outside into the corridor and called over one of the junior policemen. He gave him a few quick instructions and in a few moments the young policeman was escorting Indiana Jones to where the prisoner holding cells were located. They had to actually exit the main building, cross a small courtyard, and enter another building to get to the holding cells.  
  
The building was stark, cold, and unpleasant. The walls were painted a drab, dull, off-green color and the floors were tiled in an ugly, dark maroon. There was no one in the building save for the one guard sitting at a plain wooden desk at the end of the corridor.  
  
"Hello Will," Jones' escort spoke to the guard, "You're to let this gentleman speak with our prisoner; five minutes, Davies' orders."  
  
"Five minutes?" Jones said, surprised that Davies had stipulated so short a time.  
  
"Sure thing John," Will said to the policeman. Then he turned to Indiana Jones. He glanced down at the archaeologist's decorated cast for a moment and then looked back up, "So's you want to talk to the gypsy tart then do you mate?" The man tried to smile slyly but succeeded only in producing an ugly leer. "Well, she's daft you know." The man picked up a set of keys on a large metal ring, "Follow me then," he said and walked towards a staircase leading downward.  
  
As they descended the steps the jailer continued talking, "Oh, she's a looker awright. She could tempt the pope his self couldn't she?" he winked as he asked Jones the rather indelicate, rhetorical Papal question. "Yeah she's a looker that's for sure, but she's bleedin' daft. Thinks she's an Egyptian Queen, or so they say."  
  
"Look, can you just take me to see the lady, without the comments?" Indiana Jones had had enough of the man's off-color opinions.  
  
The jailer stopped and turned around with a sour expression on his face, "Oh, well, excuse me mate," he said with exaggerated politeness, "sorry to disappoint you though, but there aint no ladies down here. Aint but one gypsy whore's all we's got down here."  
  
Jones stopped and stared at the man for a moment, "maybe I should just go and speak with Inspector Davies again," he said.  
  
"Awright, awright, you don't be needin' to play all high and mighty with me governor, I'll take you to the Queen. Come on."  
  
At the bottom of the stairs there was a barred door that the man opened with one of the keys from the ring. This opened into a small corridor that was lit by three naked light bulbs hung from fixtures in the low ceiling. There were three jail cells on the left side.  
  
"She's there," the jailer pointed, "in the last cell," he winked lewdly at Jones, "no hanky-panky eh mate?" he said, and then walked back up the stairs leaving Jones alone.  
  
Indiana Jones ignored the man's comment and proceeded hesitantly towards the far end of the corridor. The first two cells were empty.  
  
He didn't know why he felt the way he did. It was a strange feeling; it was electric and exhilarating, and yet also a bit dark and foreboding. Maybe, he thought, it was just an extreme sort of curiosity that had pestered him for so long; ever since Marcus had received that telegram the night of the Christmas party.  
  
Whatever he had thought though, whatever his curious mind could have imagined, he was unprepared for what awaited him when he finally got to the third cell. Indiana Jones looked in through the bars of the jail cell and was stunned. 


	18. Gypsy Queen

18  
Gypsy Queen  
  
Indiana Jones was stunned by the striking beauty of the woman who sat, rather forlornly on the hard looking bed of the small cell and turned slowly to face him.  
  
The first thing that struck Jones was the bright, magnetic, fire that seemed to exude from her eyes; eyes of the darkest sepia Jones had ever seen. They were slightly almond shaped with whispered allusions to a trace of the orient in her ancestry. Her eyes were framed by luxuriant, black, arched brows that magnificently complimented her straight, aquiline nose and her complexion of warm, dark, and tawny, olive. Her lips were full, red, and innocently sensuous, while her long, ample, dark hair lay about her shoulders like the mane of some kind of beautiful, mystical cat.  
  
In an instant Jones could see how an ignorant boor like Will the Jailer upstairs would label this woman a 'tart' ...or worse. Women of such striking, natural beauty were often penalized for it by men like Will.  
  
Sometimes the difference was just money and means, Jones mused in his mind. The beautiful woman of wealth and means is....beautiful, while the same beautiful woman born to poverty, on the wrong side of the tracks is... a 'tart'. And to men like Will, or Inspector Davies, to be a gypsy woman is to be the furthest on the wrong side of the tracks as it is possible to be.  
  
"Who are you?" She asked, as she stood up and walked toward him. Her voice was low for a woman. But it was smooth and resonant, with a surprisingly sweet musicality that struck a mysterious chord somewhere within Indiana Jones.  
  
"My name is Indiana Jones, I'm an archaeologist," he answered simply, "who are you?"  
  
She stared at him for a moment. To Jones it felt as if she could see into his very heart and soul.  
  
"Why are you here? What do you want?" She asked. Her English was good, but the accent was heavily eastern European.  
  
"You didn't answer my question," Indy said.  
  
She smiled wistfully, for a brief moment lifting her mask of stoic melancholy, "What does it matter to you who I am?"  
  
Jones looked directly into her lovely eyes, "It matters," he said.  
  
She held his gaze, "My name is Maria Roma."  
  
"That's not what I heard," Jones said, "I heard that your name was Queen Nefertiti."  
  
She turned away from him and walked towards the back of the cell. Indiana Jones' eyes involuntarily assessed the appealing, feminine curves that showed themselves as she walked. From the gentle arch of her back and the firmness of her breasts beneath the chiffon and China silk fabric of her blouse, right down to her well-formed calves, exposed beneath the hem of her knee length dress, she evoked in Indiana Jones' mind visions of the sculpted likenesses of goddesses; Athena, Aphrodite, Isis,...  
  
When she reached the back wall of the cell she spun around quickly, causing strands of dark hair to flash momentarily across her face and causing her dress to flare out, seductively revealing a few inches of smooth, shapely thighs.  
  
Her eyes shot flames of quiet fury as she spoke, "Why did you come here? To taunt me like the rest of these dogs?"  
  
"They said that you speak with the voice of Nefertiti."  
  
"I have a gift Mr. Indiana Jones," she said with firmness.  
  
"What gift?" Jones now held her gaze just as she had held his.  
  
"The Queen of the Ancients, she speaks through me, it is true," she said as she walked slowly forward towards the bars again.  
  
There was a force, a charisma, that seemed to surround the woman, and despite the bars of the cell Jones unconsciously took a slight step back as she advanced toward him.  
  
"Look," he said, "that might be a good trick for a circus sideshow but how did you manage to fool a man like Lord Richard Malboury?"  
  
The quiet fury now grew in intensity, "Sideshow? Sideshow?! How dare you, you, rikona! Get out! Get out of here!"  
  
"Settle down sister!" Indy said sternly.  
  
The woman stopped abruptly and her face fell. She put her hands over her face and began to cry.  
  
Indiana Jones felt a sudden pang of guilt, and he moved closer to the bars speaking softly to her, "Look I'm sorry," he said, and then reached into his pocket to retrieve a clean handkerchief. "Here," he handed it through the bars. She took it and wiped away tears that streamed down her tawny cheeks.  
  
"Look, I don't mean to upset you, and I certainly didn't come here to taunt you, but I want to find out what happened to Richard Malboury."  
  
She looked at him blankly, but with an even more melancholy mask to her pretty face than before. "I don't know what happened to him," she said simply.  
  
"You were working with him weren't you?"  
  
Almost chameleon-like the melancholy left her face and was seamlessly replaced by a look of mystery that shone from her dark eyes, "Richard sometimes had questions; questions for the Ancients."  
  
"And you answered them?"  
  
"Yes," she said.  
  
"With the voice of Nefertiti?" Jones asked.  
  
She didn't answer, but looked away instead.  
  
"You knew what Malboury was looking for," Jones stated.  
  
She continued to be silent.  
  
"You know about the Sun Tablets of Akhenaton and ....Nefertiti," he said.  
  
"As I told you Mr. Indiana Jones, Richard had questions and sometimes the answers came through me, across the ages, from the time of the Pharaoh Akhenaton and his Queen."  
  
"But you know nothing about what has happened to Lord Richard Malboury?"  
  
"No," she answered without hesitation.  
  
Jones knew that she was not going to tell him anything more about Lord Malboury's disappearance, and in fact he wondered if she did indeed know nothing, just as she said.  
  
"When they arrested you, there was a woman with you, an old woman?"  
  
The melancholy returned to her lovely countenance, and a lone tear left her eye and rolled down her smooth cheek, "Magda... they killed her," she said in a grieving monotone. "Inspector Davies said she died of heart failure," Jones said.  
  
"Well, they may as well have killed her," she said.  
  
"Who was Magda?" he asked.  
  
"She was...my friend, my guardian...she looked out for me...but now....." she let her sentence trail off.  
  
Jones looked down at the floor of the cell block, "I'm sorry about Magda," he said.  
  
The beautiful gypsy woman turned to look up at Jones' face again through the bars. She studied him for a few moments, as if reading some kind of invisible script written upon his rugged countenance.  
  
After a few moments she spoke, "You are a good man Indiana Jones."  
  
Then it was Jones' turn to study her face and try to 'read' her heart, if he could. What he saw was a beautiful but complex woman who was dealing with some complicated problems.  
  
"Look Maria, the facts are...."  
  
"Wait!" She cut him off before he could finish, "My name is not Maria."  
  
Jones paused for a moment, "OK, then what is your name?"  
  
"It is Vadoma ...Vadoma Maniskelko. Maria Roma is the name that I use with outsiders. It is the name that I use in...your world."  
  
"My world?" Jones looked at her, "then what is your world ...Vadoma?"  
  
"I am Romani; or as those in your world call me, a Gypsy."  
  
"I know that, but you came here to England from Germany." Jones stated.  
  
"My people are from all over Europe, and the world."  
  
"But you're a German national."  
  
She looked away again, "My kumpania ...my clan, have lived for centuries within the borders of Germany, Austria, Poland, and other places Indiana Jones."  
  
Jones looked hard at her, "They found a Nazi code book in your possession, and a wireless transmitting set in the place where you lived here in England. You were working for the Nazis."  
  
She gazed down at the hard stone floor of the cell, "You know nothing Indiana Jones."  
  
"Listen Vadoma, I ...I'd like to help you if I could. Something doesn't quite add up here. I know a thing or two about Nazis, and Nazi Germany; and you just don't seem to fit the bill. I know too that the Gypsies are persecuted in Germany, just as badly as the Jews. So why would you be a Nazi agent? ...What gives sister?"  
  
Vadoma covered her face again and broke into tears. Once again Indiana Jones felt like a cad.  
  
"What did I say?" Jones asked, confused by the woman's reactions.  
  
"Please don't call me ...sister, again Indiana Jones."  
  
Jones looked at her curiously, "Alright, I'm sorry. I didn't know, is that a bad thing to call a Gypsy...er, Romani woman?" He asked with genuine curiosity.  
  
"No, it is not," she answered him.  
  
Indiana Jones stood for a moment with his mouth open, uncomprehending, and then shook his head, "Look maybe I should just go," he said.  
  
"When you say 'sister', it makes me think of my own sister," Vadoma looked up at Indiana Jones' face, studying it again as if to re-read the invisible script that she had read before; in order to make sure she'd been correct the first time.  
  
"...My sister in Germany," she said, and then began to cry again.  
  
Indy gave her a few moments to cry before speaking again, "Tell me Vadoma," he said to her in a soft voice, "Tell me the truth...maybe I...can do something, maybe I can help you."  
  
She looked up at him through eyes that were beginning to redden from crying. Indiana Jones put his hand through the bars and wiped away the tears from her face with the back of his hand.  
  
"Pease tell me about your sister."  
  
Vadoma swallowed hard, and then spoke, "Pesha," she said, "she is only sixteen, still just a child." Vadoma sobbed once, sniffed, and then went on, "The Gestapo, they have her." Suddenly a clear picture was beginning to present itself to Jones.  
  
"I hate them! I hate them all! I hated to have to do what I did here! But what could I do?" Vadoma's eyes burned with fury again. "I hated to have to work for the Nazis Indiana Jones. They are filthy, murdering beasts! But what could I do? They took my beloved sister Pesha. They said they would kill her if I did not do what they wanted."  
  
"Where is Pesha now?" Indy asked.  
  
"The pigs still have her...I hope," Vadoma dropped her head into her hands again and began to sob. She shook her head, "I don't know...I don't know. What will they do to her now?" Then she looked back up at him, "I think they will kill me too."  
  
"You think the Nazis will try to kill you here? In England?"  
  
"They have their ways Indiana Jones. I am not safe here. And the policeman told me that maybe they will deport me back to Germany. They will surely kill me then."  
  
"Then why haven't you cooperated with Scotland Yard?"  
  
"If I talk to the police, the Nazis, they will find out, and they will kill my beloved Pesha."  
  
Indiana Jones could now clearly see the woman's dilemma and the circumstances of her relationship with archaeologist Lord Richard Malboury.  
  
"So the Nazis took your sister, threatened to harm her if you didn't cooperate, and sent you over here to...get close to Malboury and find out about his research?"  
  
"Yes," she answered.  
  
"But why you?" Jones asked her.  
  
She looked down at the cell floor and then back up again, "As I told you before Indiana Jones, I have a gift."  
  
"Do you really believe that Queen Nefertiti speaks through you?"  
  
"Do you believe that she does not?" Vadoma answered his question cryptically. Then she looked him directly in the eyes, "I have other gifts also."  
  
Jones studied her for a moment and then said, "So I can see."  
  
She smiled mysteriously, though her face still betrayed her sadness, "Do you find me beautiful Indiana Jones?" Then before he could answer she said, "You know that beauty can be a curse as well as a blessing. And any blessing can be a curse." As Jones tried to unravel that conundrum he said to her, "You must have been coached, I mean about the archaeology. Do you know a man named Fritz Von Steudl?"  
  
She nodded, and now the picture was becoming clearer still.  
  
The door to the stairwell above was suddenly opened and Will the jailer began walking down, "Sorry mate, they told me give you five minutes and no more, and your time is up," he said as he jangled his key ring.  
  
Vadoma Maniskelko reached her hand slowly out through the bars of the cell. Jones looked down at the delicate outstretched fingers and took the hand in his own. She squeezed hard.  
  
"Help me Indiana Jones."  
  
The archaeologist gazed into her pretty, dark eyes and nodded his head, "I'll see what I can do."  
  
She let go his hand and Jones turned and walked back down the cell corridor. He ignored some more of Will's boorish babbling and walked past him and up the stairs as the jailer re-locked the door to the cell block. 


	19. Taxi Ride

19  
Taxi Ride  
  
The cab made a right turn from the Victoria Embankment on to Northumberland Avenue and headed north towards Trafalgar Square. Indiana Jones sat in the back of the London taxi, deep in thought.  
  
He was returning from Scotland Yard to Professor Allenby's residence where he and Marcus were staying. Again and again he turned over in his mind the recent events, and what Vadoma had confided in him. He wondered what his next move should be.  
  
Obviously they didn't see any need for his services in the investigation of Lord Malboury's disappearance. Davies had made that clear. But Jones wanted to stay involved, if only to try to help Vadoma in some way. The woman was in a tough spot, and Indy still thought she knew something that she wasn't saying. But if he came out and told the police what she'd confided in him, well, who's to say she wasn't right about the Nazis being able to get to her here in England, and kill her? He didn't want to be responsible for the unfortunate woman's death, or her sister's. And yet if they deported her back to Germany.....  
  
Jones now almost wished he hadn't spoken to her; wished he hadn't felt such an overwhelming curiosity to meet 'Queen Nefertiti'. Now he couldn't help feeling somewhat responsible for her welfare. What was it about women? He asked himself the maddening question even as he remembered the way Vadoma had squeezed his hand tightly, and her tearful plea for him to help her.  
  
He glanced at the taxi driver's calendar taped to the dashboard of the vehicle. Tomorrow was New Year's Day. Was 1937 over already? Only two more weeks until classes would open at Barnett; and he'd barely started on the first of the syllabuses for the three courses he was supposed to be teaching this spring semester. Maybe it would be best to just go home.  
  
The taxi passed through the rotary of Trafalgar Square and moved up Charing Cross road on its way north towards Allenby's home just above Bloomsbury. Jones continued to think through the problem. He wasn't even sure if he should tell Marcus about it or not, which for him was the sign of a true dilemma. And Marcus would be leaving for Cairo in the morning, so he'd have to make up his mind before then. Maybe it would be best not to tell Marcus. He didn't want to burden his good friend; he would have enough to deal with, helping Agent Elliot in Egypt.  
  
Eventually the taxi made a right turn on to New Oxford Street, and a bit later a left on to Bloomsbury Street. A short time after that Indiana Jones watched out the window of the cab as the British Museum passed by on the right. As he rode on Jones couldn't help wishing that he could make all of his vexing thoughts disappear for a while and just immerse himself in the museum's library. Sometimes such meditative studying was the best kind of therapy. Or maybe he could just spend a whole day rummaging through the museum's fascinating basement, looking for some glorious artifact that even now waited to be re-discovered.  
  
"The basement!" Jones nearly shouted.  
  
The cab driver looked back, "What's that sir?"  
  
Indy was momentarily embarrassed, "Oh, um, nothing...nothing, I'm sorry."  
  
The basement; Malboury's office; ...the picture on the wall of Malboury standing in front of the Temple of Karnak. Indiana Jones had a sudden revelation.  
  
He leaned forward and spoke to the driver, "Excuse me sir, but could you please turn around and drive back to the British Museum? I'd like to get off there."  
  
The driver angled his head back, "Sure mate. No difference to me."  
  
"Thank you," Indiana Jones said as he glanced at his pocket watch. It was just after lunch time and Jones hoped that Allenby would be in his office.  
  
After a quick turn around it was a short ride back to the museum. Indiana Jones got out, paid the taxi driver and jogged up the steps to the main entrance. Allenby's office was located on the ground floor, on the back side of one of the older wings. Indy approached the door, which was closed, and knocked.  
  
"Come in," Allenby called from behind his desk where he was eating a sandwich and reading the London Daily.  
  
Jones entered, "Hello John, I'm sorry to interrupt your lunch but..."  
  
"Oh nonsense Indy, no bother, please come in and sit down. Care to join me?" Allenby motioned towards a bowl of blood pudding.  
  
"No thanks, I'm not really hungry."  
  
"So what brings you back here to the museum?" Allenby said as he put down his newspaper, "I thought you might already be back at my residence preparing to return to America."  
  
"I was on my way to your house actually. But on the way it hit me," Jones said.  
  
"What hit you? You weren't involved in an accident were you?"  
  
Jones chuckled, "No, no...I'm sorry, poor choice of words. No, what hit me was an idea, and I'd like to go back down to Malboury's office in the basement to check it out. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think we may have missed something when we were searching down there for the Roman scrolls."  
  
"What could we have possibly missed?" Allenby asked, "We conducted a thorough search, and Scotland Yard was in there before us."  
  
"Like I say John, I could be wrong, but I've just got a hunch."  
  
Allenby smiled at him, "Yes, you Americans and your 'hunches'," he stood up, opened his desk drawer, and retrieved a key, "well then, to the basement I suppose," he said, and gestured toward the door.  
  
The two men made their way through the artifact laden halls of the British Museum. As they walked past rows of sculptures, works of art, and display cases filled with treasures of the ancient world Jones noted how much more vibrant and alive everything looked in the abundance of natural daylight supplied by the skylights located in the high ceilings above; so very different from the previous evening. Allenby smiled with satisfaction as he observed several museum patrons intensely studying and enjoying his new display of 4TH Dynasty sculptures, of which he was justly proud.  
  
At length they reached the curving stairway leading down to the basement and descended. A few moments later they stood before the door to Malboury's office. Allenby turned the key in the lock and opened the door.  
  
Indiana Jones entered, walked over to the far wall and stood before the photograph of Lord Richard Malboury standing in front of the Temple of Karnak in Upper Egypt.  
  
It was a twelve by fourteen inch framed photo probably taken within the last five years. Malboury was smiling broadly, apparently enjoying the day. Beside him was an unidentified Egyptian, probably one of his diggers. Off to the side were two other unidentified men, one a European, and the other apparently an Egyptian; there was also a camel standing not too far behind those men.  
  
Jones moved closer to the photo and appeared to be examining it in close detail. Allenby watched him curiously, "Well, have you found what it is that you're looking for Indy?"  
  
Indiana Jones turned to him and nodded his head, "I think so." 


	20. Roman Clues

20  
Roman Clues  
  
Indiana Jones continued to study the framed picture of Lord Richard Malboury standing before the Temple of Karnak; as if trying to decipher some two dimensional secret that lay there on the black and white photograph. Allenby continued to watch him, fascinated by what mystery it was that Jones was about to solve.  
  
Then Jones simply reached his hands up and grasped hold of the picture frame. A moment later he lifted the picture up and withdrew it from the wall. There, behind it, was the recessed combination spinner of a small wall safe.  
  
"Well I'll be damned!" Allenby said as he watched him lift the picture off the wall, "and to think that Scotland Yard didn't even find it."  
  
"Maybe Scotland Yard needs to hire some archaeologists to work for them," Indiana Jones said with a wink.  
  
Jones set the picture aside and examined the safe for a moment, "But there are still two questions. ...One, is there anything inside?"  
  
After a long pause Allenby asked, "And the second question?"  
  
Indiana Jones looked at him, "What's the combination?"  
  
"Well ...I wouldn't know. Why I didn't even know that Richard had this safe in his office."  
  
"What's Malboury's birthday?" Jones asked.  
  
Allenby thought for a moment, "I'm sorry Indy, I don't know that either."  
  
"Can you remember what month, if not the day or the year?"  
  
Allenby shook his head, "I'm sorry."  
  
Indiana Jones began searching through Malboury's desk rifling through the drawers, "Eureka!" he said after a few moments of searching.  
  
"What is it?" Allenby asked.  
  
"It's his British Museum staff identification card. According to it Lord Richard Malboury was born on 23rd of February 1885."  
  
"You think he used his birthday for the combination?"  
  
"Sure," Jones answered, "it's a common practice. It's easy to remember. No one forgets their own birthday."  
  
"No, but after a certain number of years you do try to ignore them," Allenby said with a chuckle.  
  
Jones went to the safe, "Why don't we try 2, 23, 85," he said, then stopped and stared at the spinner, "no, that's not it, the numbers only go up to 50."  
  
He looked away for a moment in thought, then turned back to the safe, "No problem," he said confidently, "we'll try 2, 23, 35, and if that doesn't work, we'll try 2, 23, 15."  
  
Allenby thought for a moment, and then saw the logic in Jones' numbers.  
  
The first combination failed, but the second one was on the money, and Indiana Jones smiled with satisfaction as he pulled down on the small latch handle and felt it click. The safe door then swung open.  
  
There were three items inside the safe, two small, ancient papyrus scrolls, and a blank envelope stuffed full of money. Jones couldn't see exactly how much, but it appeared to be a substantial amount. He carefully pulled out the two delicate scrolls and set them on Malboury's desk. And then, without knowing entirely why, Jones made a conscious decision to block Allenby's view of the safe, and then he quickly shut it and spun the lock.  
  
The money in the envelope was provocative. It could have a bearing on things, Jones thought. Then again maybe it was just a stash of cash that Malboury kept handy. But he wanted to count it first, and then try to figure out what to do. His thoughts were still focused on helping Vadoma if he could, and in this instance he wanted to figure out things for himself before running to the police. Maybe he was wrong, maybe he was right, but Indiana Jones was going to go with his hunch.  
  
He turned back around to where Allenby eyed the scrolls curiously.  
  
"Anything else of any interest in there?" the museum curator asked him.  
  
Jones did a quick battle with his conscience, quickly slapping it down, and then said simply, "No, there was nothing else in there."  
  
Allenby cautiously unrolled the first of the scrolls while Jones unrolled the second. They were remarkably well preserved, and covered with crisp clear Latin script. Indiana Jones pulled his glasses out of his breast pocket and slipped them on. His eyes rapidly scanned the writing and he smiled when he saw the signature at the bottom...Grachius Calvertus.  
  
"Calvertus!" Jones said, "It looks like we've found it John; I'll need to translate both of them, but this could be the directions to the Sun Tablets that Dorsius talks about."  
  
"You're saying that this could be the scroll that Calvertus buried in the temple?" Allenby said as he scanned his eyes over the Latin script, "this is indeed good news, I shall call Scotland Yard and speak with Inspector Davies immediately..."  
  
"No!" Indiana Jones nearly shouted, then realized it, and lowered his voice a bit, "no ...I mean ...well, I'd like to have some time to translate them first before we call anyone. It shouldn't take too long; the script is very clear and well preserved. I...I just don't want to be premature. There could very well be nothing of interest here."  
  
"Why would Malboury lock them up like that then?"  
  
"I don't know, but I'd like to have an hour or so to go over them," Jones paused and looked around the office for a moment, "why don't I just examine them here?"  
  
Allenby nodded, "Certainly. That way you don't have to go walking about the museum with them," he handed Jones the key to the office, "Alright then Indy, please lock the door when you leave. I'll be either in my office or somewhere in the vicinity of the 4TH Dynasty display."  
  
"Thank you John, I'll let you know as soon as I find anything."  
  
Allenby walked out of the office and back up to the ground floor of the museum. Indiana Jones walked to the door of the office, closed it, and set the latch. Then he went back to the safe and spun the combination again. A moment later he spread the cash out on the desk and counted it. There was more than three thousand Pounds, the equivalent of about five thousand US Dollars. It was a lot of money, but then for a wealthy man like Lord Malboury it might not be too extraordinary for him to keep this much cash around. Maybe he just didn't like to go to the bank. Now Indiana Jones suddenly felt guilty for having not told Allenby about the money.  
  
He examined the envelope. There was nothing interesting about it; no tell tale German writing or swastikas emblazoned on it. It was just a wealthy man's 'pocket money' Jones now thought. Oh well, he thought, and put the money back into the safe, spinning the lock. Then he turned his attention to the scrolls which still lay on the desk in front of him.  
  
Jones' Latin was peerless, and he quickly deciphered the well written script. After about ten minutes he'd finished the first scroll, but had found nothing of significance. The second took slightly longer, about fifteen minutes. About half way through reading it Jones stopped and located a pen and some paper in Malboury's desk. He began jotting down something on to the paper, referring back to the scroll every few seconds as he wrote. When he was finished, he had copied one particular passage from the scroll. Then he set down the pen and continued reading through the rest of the Latin writing. After finishing he looked up and took off his glasses.  
  
"This isn't it," he said to himself out loud, shaking his head, "but it's close."  
  
He read over again the passage that he had translated to English and copied on to the paper. Satisfied, he carefully rolled the two scrolls back up. He folded the paper with the transcribed passage on it and put it into his breast pocket. Then he left the office, locking the door on the way out, and slipping the key into the band of his fedora.  
  
A few minutes later he stood beside the 4TH Dynasty displays speaking with Allenby. Jones explained that these scrolls were not the directions to the location of the Sun Tablets that they had hoped, but rather just some writings of Calvertus.  
  
"However there is one particular passage on this one," Jones held up the second, longer scroll, "where Calvertus mentions the Sun Tablets scroll, and even hints at where the temple is that he buried it in."  
  
Allenby shook his head a little, "So you're telling me that within these scrolls here, there is a passage that tells the location of the temple where Calvertus buried the Sun Tablets scroll?"  
  
"Yes," Jones answered him.  
  
"And the Sun Tablets scroll tells where the Tablets themselves are located."  
  
"Yes," once again Indiana Jones answered in the affirmative.  
  
"My, it is a rather tangled web here is it not?"  
  
"You know it's never easy John. It's a three thousand year old, five thousand mile long trail that we're trying to follow."  
  
"What do you suggest we do from here then Indy?"  
  
"Why don't we discuss it with Marcus at dinner tonight? He'll need to know the content of the passage. There's no doubt this Temple that Calvertus talks about must be in Egypt since he buried it before he returned to Rome."  
  
Indiana Jones gazed at the 4TH Dynasty sculptures for a moment and then spoke again, "I just hope Marcus and Elliot can find it before Malboury does."  
  
"You're not insinuating anything are you Indy?"  
  
"No, but right now one thing is certain. Malboury read these scrolls, and for all we know right now he's in Egypt searching for the Temple. Maybe at the end of a gun barrel, but nonetheless he's looking for it. We've got to hope that Marcus and MI5 can find it first. Otherwise we may never see Lord Richard Malboury alive again. The Nazis have a bad habit of getting rid of people that they don't need anymore."  
  
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Jones thought of Vadoma. 


	21. Message in the Night

21  
Message in the Night  
  
Marcus Brody stabbed another tender slice of prime rib with his fork and prepared to place the tasty morsel into his mouth, "So you believe that we should be looking for a temple devoted to the worship of Isis?" He asked Indiana Jones.  
  
Indiana Jones took a sip of 1922 Tuscan Chianti and set his glass down. Before him on the table next to his salad fork lay the transcribed passage that he'd copied from the Roman scroll of Grachius Calvertus earlier in the day. He picked it up and read the passage aloud again.  
  
"Where the sacred waters of the Nile anoint those of us who worship her glory...where ibises wander to the tune of the flute and sistrum... beneath the stones at the feet of the Goddess I laid to rest the power of the sun."  
  
Allenby drained his own glass of wine, glanced over at Indy's half- empty glass, and then called to his butler for another bottle. Then he spoke, "Not really much there to go on is there?"  
  
Jones shook his head as he stared at the paper, "No, not much at all, but it's all we've got."  
  
"Do you think this is all that Lord Malboury has to go on also?" Allenby asked.  
  
"I doubt it," Marcus said, "finding the Sun Tablets was an obsession with Richard Malboury. He'd been working on it for years. While this passage represents all that we may have to go on, for all we know it may have been just the last piece in the puzzle for Richard."  
  
"Yes, yes, I see what you're saying." Allenby said as his butler showed him a bottle of 1923 Chateau du Rhone. The museum curator nodded his satisfaction and the butler proceeded to uncork the bottle of vintage red wine and pour fresh glasses for the three men.  
  
"The sacred waters of the Nile...," Marcus quoted from the passage, "well at least we can narrow our search down to ...Egypt," he gave a sardonic chuckle.  
  
"Where ibises wander... Do you suppose there is any significance to the mention of ibis birds?" Allenby asked.  
  
Jones looked thoughtful, "well, the ibis is a wading bird that inhabits the banks of the Nile; considered sacred to the Egyptians. To the tune of the flute and sistrum..." Jones now quoted, "flute and sistrum...musical instruments used in temple rituals. It all seems to indicate a temple somewhere near or very near the banks of the Nile, and the fact that Calvertus refers to a female deity, well my best guess would be that Isis would be the goddess he refers to.  
  
"Yes but we must consider all of the female Egyptian deities mustn't we?" Allenby said, "Why there's Maat, the Goddess of truth and justice, there's Hathor with her many spiritual roles, there's Nut, Tefnut, Bastet the cat headed Goddess of pleasure and plenty...there's quite an impressive menagerie of female deities in the Egyptian pantheon."  
  
"True," Indiana Jones said, "but when Calvertus uses the words worship her glory, to me that can only refer to the greatest of Egyptian female deities, and that would be Isis, wife of Osiris, mother of Horus," Jones shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, call it a hunch."  
  
Allenby raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled, "Well Indy, who would I be to argue with another of your... 'hunches'?" Then their host pushed his chair back from the table, "Gentlemen, I hope the meal was to your satisfaction."  
  
"Fantastic," Indy said.  
  
"Wonderful, I couldn't eat another bite. And the wine was extraordinary," Marcus complimented him.  
  
Allenby glanced at the large grandfather clock that adorned the far wall of the dining room, "Well then, let us adjourn to the smoking room for cigars and brandy, and await the arrival of our guests."  
  
Outside the weather had grown increasingly warmer, and wetter. The winter warm front that had moved in to the London area had brought with it a heavy dose of that old London staple...fog.  
  
As they entered Allenby's large, comfortable smoking room the curator turned to Marcus, "You're sure Marcus that you want to stay up to see in the New Year. You've got to be leaving for Cairo in the morning."  
  
"I wouldn't miss it for anything," Marcus answered, "to snub Father Time's baby boy would be to bring bad luck for the whole year."  
  
Indiana Jones took a look out the large bay window of the smoking room, "I just hope that 1938 can find its way through this pea soup, or we may be stuck in 1937 for a while."  
  
"Well it should be an interesting evening. Among others I've invited Professor Steven Lucas." Allenby said.  
  
"The, Steven Lucas, from Cambridge?" Marcus asked.  
  
"Yes," Allenby said, "I know that both of you gentlemen are interested in his theories on the whole Atlantis question."  
  
"Absolutely," Indiana Jones said, "I've always wanted to meet Mr. Lucas. It will be a pleasure to finally get a chance to meet him personally."  
  
A short while later the guests for Allenby's modest New Year's Eve party began to arrive. By ten o'clock what had started out as a modest party began to liven up. Ale, champagne, and brandy flowed freely and loosened inhibitions. The conversation was lively, interesting and enlightening. Indiana Jones engaged Professor Lucas in fascinating discussions; everything from interesting theories on the lost civilization of Atlantis, to of all things, the motion picture industry. Jones found it interesting that Lucas thought that in the future the motion picture industry was going to be one of the biggest and most profitable industries in the world.  
  
"I guess only time will tell," Jones said with smile.  
  
"Doctor Jones," It was Allenby's butler speaking.  
  
Indiana Jones turned around, "Yes?"  
  
The butler held out a small envelope in his hand, "This message for you sir."  
  
Indy looked curiously and a bit apprehensively at the envelope for a moment before reaching out his hand and taking it.  
  
"Thank you Paul," he said to the butler, then turned around "Excuse me Professor Lucas."  
  
Jones walked over to the fireplace and placed his brandy down on top of the mantle. He looked at the envelope. Written on it was his name... Indiana Jones. There was a finite list of people in the world who knew of him as Indiana rather than Henry, and Jones hastened to open the envelope, spurred on by curiosity.  
  
When he began to read it he was shocked. It was from one of the last people he would have expected it to be from.  
  
"How could she get this message to me?" he mumbled to himself in disbelief.  
  
The message was from Vadoma.  
  
Indiana Jones, please help me. The Nazis will come tonight to kill me. Please hurry.  
For a few moments Jones just stood there staring at the stark message; confusion and shock vying with each other in his mind. Then he quickly crossed the room in search of Paul, the butler.  
  
"Paul!" Jones called out to the man, "Paul, who delivered this?" he said as he held up the envelope.  
  
"Well sir," the butler answered, "it was rather strange."  
  
"Yes?" Jones said.  
  
"Well it was a very old ...gypsy woman if I'm not mistaken." 


	22. New Year's Eve

22  
New Year's Eve  
  
Indiana Jones left the main gathering in the smoking room. Quietly and unnoticed, he proceeded upstairs to the guest bedroom where he was staying in Allenby's house. There he changed out of his suit and bowtie, exchanging the formal attire for his more comfortable Khakis and leather jacket. In fact, Jones was taking no chances. After pulling on his leather jacket he hooked his coiled bullwhip onto his belt behind his back. Then he fished through his opened suitcase for his .455 Webley handgun. He opened the chamber, counted six rounds, then closed and spun it before dropping the weapon into his right hand jacket pocket. He struggled a bit using his one useful arm and the fingers protruding out of the cast on his left to zip up the jacket, but managed. When he was done his left arm, with cast, was enclosed inside the leather jacket; the empty sleeve hanging limp. Finally Jones placed his fedora squarely on his head and proceeded out the door.  
  
He took the back stairway down to the kitchen so as not to arouse anyone's attention. A few nods to the surprised kitchen servants was better than having to explain himself to Marcus or Allenby. This was something he needed to take care of on his own and he didn't want to alarm them.  
  
He left out through the back kitchen door and crossed the modest garden to the street. A few moments later the one armed archaeologist disappeared into the thick London fog.  
  
As he proceeded down the slick sidewalk through the fine mist of fog Jones glanced at his pocket watch in the filtered light of a street lamp. It was fifteen minutes after eleven; forty-five minutes left in the year 1937.  
  
Jones was feeling a mix of emotions. On the one hand he was gravely concerned for the safety of the gypsy woman Vadoma ...if she was really in danger. But on the other hand he was wondering if it all was just some kind of game, and he was the pawn. Just what was this woman trying to pull? Or more importantly, why? And how? There was no better way to find out than to go and confront her, up close and personal in her Scotland Yard jail cell and Jones intended to do just that.  
  
But if what the note said was true...?  
  
Though the night was warmer than the previous one it was still winter, and there was a damp chill in the air. Indiana Jones placed his hand in his jacket pocket to keep it warm. The feel of the Webley handgun was comforting. The archaeologist had a sixth sense when it came to smelling danger, and tonight the aroma hung as thickly in the air as the London fog that swirled around him.  
  
He had to walk all the way to Bloomsbury Center before finally finding a taxi.  
  
"Victoria Embankment, Scotland Yard," he said as he slipped into the back seat.  
  
A few moments later he was headed south towards the Thames River, and the headquarters of England's most famous police force. When he arrived, he paid the driver and got out in front of the main gate to the complex. There was a small guard shack with a policeman on duty and Jones walked up to him.  
  
"Good evening, um, I'm here to see Inspector Davies," was all he could think of to say; a little bit angry with himself for not thinking of something better on the way over.  
  
The young policeman looked at Jones strangely, then looked at his watch, "Sir, are you aware that it is nearly midnight, on New Years Eve? I've no doubt Inspector Davies is probably either at home, or maybe celebrating somewhere."  
  
Jones tried to play cool, "Oh yes, of course. I, um, I don't mean that I actually want to see him. I'm sorry, what I meant to say was that I ...have a very important message for him...it's about the Malboury case."  
  
The man continued to study Indiana Jones as one would a mad man.  
  
Jones continued, "So...maybe if I could just go on in to the front desk, um, maybe they could help me to contact him or at least leave a message?"  
  
"Can I see some identification sir?"  
  
Jones fished out his wallet and brought out some ID.  
  
"Doctor Henry Jones Jr. Oh, you're one of the gentlemen who was here yesterday."  
  
"Yes, that's right," Jones said.  
  
"All right sir, you may go in and speak with the officer at the front desk, he will be able to help you I'm sure."  
  
"Thank you," Indiana Jones said as he proceeded towards the main building.  
  
As he ascended the steps towards the entrance Jones stopped and turned around. The guard in the shack had gone back to reading the newspaper as before.  
  
Indiana Jones made a sudden move to the right and disappeared behind one of the tall pillars that stood on the front courtyard. After a few seconds he peered around to take a second look. The man was still reading the newspaper and Jones calmly stepped out and walked away from the main building and into the fog where he headed straight for the smaller building containing the jail cells; where Vadoma was.  
  
A minute later he opened the door and entered the jail building. The guard at the small wooden table this time was not Will; it was another young policeman on duty and Jones approached him.  
  
"Good evening," Jones said as nonchalantly as possible.  
  
"Sir?" the guard appeared surprised by the late night visit from the khaki clad man with the fedora.  
  
"I'm Doctor Henry Jones Jr. ...I've been working on the Malboury case with Inspector Davies."  
  
"What are you doing here sir?"  
  
"Well, I'd like to speak with the prisoner for a few minutes."  
  
"I'm sorry sir that's not possible."  
  
"Look, here's my identification," Indy said, hoping his credentials might work as well here as they had at the front gate.  
  
The young man looked down at Jones' identification, "Alright, so you're Doctor Henry Jones. Now why should I let you see the prisoner? And why are you comin' round here at nearly bleedin' midnight on New Year's Eve?"  
  
Jones let out an exasperated breath, "Look, I really need to see the prisoner right away."  
  
"Well I'm sorry sir but that's just not proper," he picked up the phone on his desk, "let me just call the duty sergeant and..."  
  
"No," Jones held up his hand, "that won't be necessary. I'll ...I'll go back and speak with the front desk myself...again."  
  
Jones turned around and breathed a sigh of relief as the policeman replaced the phone back down into the receiver. He walked out through the door and back out into the foggy night. He was going to have to think of something else, and quickly.  
  
As he stood outside the door of the jail building Jones heard footsteps approaching. He pressed himself close to the wall of the building, and into the shadows. A moment later the footsteps showed themselves in the person of another policeman. Indiana Jones remained where he was as he tried to piece together what his next move would be. Making it up as you go didn't always work out.  
  
Jones was well hidden, and the approaching policeman was oblivious of the archaeologist's presence.  
  
Indiana Jones did a double take on the policeman who now stood before the door to the small jail building only a few feet from him. Something wasn't right. The man was carrying a thermos bottle, but Jones thought he saw something else, a glint of metal in the pale filtered moonlight. And there was something else. The man didn't look to be British. There was something foreign, and sinister about his appearance that didn't quite fit into the English 'Bobby' uniform that he wore. Maybe it was just overactive imagination, Jones thought.  
  
But then he didn't imagine what he saw next.  
  
The man set down the small thermos bottle and reached his hand under his coat. He pulled something out. Indiana Jones was certain that he wasn't imagining the P08 German Luger pistol that the man held in his hand. The man jacked the slide back on the weapon and then replaced it into his coat pocket. Jones reached his hand into his own pocket and felt the hard, cold nickel of his own Webley; and readied himself for what might come next.  
  
Vadoma was right. And the Danger was real.  
  
He glanced at his watch. Happy New Year.  
  
Indiana Jones pulled his weapon out of his pocket and hoped he'd make it alive through the last five minutes of 1937, never mind next year. 


	23. Jailbreak

23  
Jailbreak  
  
After the bogus policeman entered the building Jones crept around the outside and along the wall until he came to the building's one large window. He held his Webley at the ready as he peered in through the glass.  
  
He needed to be sure before he acted. The man might well be a legitimate policeman after all, and there might be a logical explanation for his actions with the Luger pistol. And the more Jones thought about it, he'd have a lot of explaining to do right now if that were the case and another of Scotland Yard's personnel were to come upon him at this particular moment. But Indiana Jones was going with his gut feeling on this one, and he'd learned never to bet against it.  
  
As he watched through the glass Jones saw the man with the thermos approach the guard at the desk. Indy looked for some sign of recognition on the part of the guard, but just as he thought, the guard's face instead registered somewhat of a surprised look. But this was quickly followed by some nods and smiles, and Mr. bogus held up the thermos. The guard then held out his cup while bogus poured tea; one for the guard and one for himself. They both drank.  
  
It took only a few seconds more for Indiana Jones' suspicions to be vindicated. The apparent drug was fast acting and the guard's eyes suddenly took on a glazed look. He quickly collapsed down on to the wooden table.  
  
Bogus wasted no time. He grabbed the large key ring from the unconscious guard's belt before he was even all the way knocked out and hastened towards the stairway leading down to the cells. Jones wasted no time either as he ran back around to the front door of the building.  
  
It was locked.  
  
"Damn it!" Jones exclaimed in frustration; then he ran back around to the window.  
  
The archaeologist studied the window for about two seconds, then he placed his Webley handgun back into his pocket and unzipped his leather jacket freeing his cast laden left arm. He swung the decorated, heavy plaster mass at the window, shattering the panes and breaking the wooden slats in between. He then pulled his jacket up around his face and catapulted himself through, landing roughly on the floor. He was back on his feet in an instant though, and running down the stairwell towards Vadoma's cell below.  
  
Jones took the steps three at a time and almost fell as he reached the bottom. Running forward through the unlocked cellblock door he reached Vadoma's jail cell in just a few seconds. And it wasn't a second too soon.  
  
The door to her cell was open. Bogus was inside with her and had a death grip around her neck. He was choking the life out of her. She was struggling, but the man's strength was overpowering.  
  
Indiana Jones reached for his Webley. He brought the weapon out and ran forward with his arm upraised. He brought it down in a hard blow to the side of the surprised, 'would be' murderer's face. The man let go his grip on the gypsy woman's throat as he reeled backwards into the back wall of the cell and fell down on to the floor. But in a lightning quick motion the man reached into his pocket, withdrew his Luger pistol, and fired point blank at Indiana Jones.  
  
The bullet, which was on a direct trajectory for Jones' chest, struck the forearm portion of his cast instead. It struck at an angle, chipping off a small piece of the decorated plaster and ricocheted up where it glanced off Jones' forehead. The deflected bullet tore a small gash but did no real harm.  
  
Indiana Jones kicked out with his foot at his prone enemy and knocked the man's weapon out of his hand before he could squeeze off another round. The Luger clattered across the floor of the cell and out of reach.  
  
Indy aimed his Webley, "Hold it right there!" He shouted as a trickle of blood flowed down from the gash in his forehead.  
  
The man grimaced menacingly for a moment and then pointed with his finger over Jones' shoulder, "She's gone, you idiot!"  
  
Indy made the mistake of turning to look for just a fraction of a second. It was all the time his enemy needed. Bogus leapt to his feet with surprising alacrity and grasped hold of Jones' right hand with both of his. Indy was out-armed two to one as he grappled with the man.  
  
So he used his legs instead.  
  
The archaeologist swung his leg out in a sweeping motion that caught bogus behind the knees and dropped him back down to the floor. But as he fell he pulled the Webley out of Jones' hand. The weapon fell to the floor of the cell and bogus scrambled to pick it up.  
  
Before the man could reach the Webley however, Indiana Jones reared back and swung his plaster encased left arm down hard. It impacted the man's skull with a resounding thud and put him out for the count. Rather than be a handicap, the cast was turning out to be more of a secret weapon than anything else, Jones thought as he stared at it for a brief moment. Then he scooped up the Webley and ran out of the cell.  
  
"Vadoma! ...Vadoma....wait!" Jones called out to her.  
  
He ran out of the cell, down the passageway and up the stairs to where the guard still lay unconscious; Vadoma was nowhere to be seen. He ran out the door of the building and back out into the foggy night. A light drizzle was beginning to fall.  
  
"Vadoma!" Jones shouted again as he frantically searched around the grounds with his eyes, trying to pierce the shroud of fog and drizzle that hampered his efforts.  
  
He caught a glimpse of motion to his left and gave chase.  
  
"Vadoma! Stop...wait!"  
  
From the kennels came the sounds of dogs barking. Then some shouted voices could be heard. Indiana Jones ran as hard as he could in the direction of the fleeting motion he'd seen.  
  
"Vadoma! You've got to stop! Please! Wait!" He could now clearly make out the figure of the beautiful gypsy woman running at full speed across the open grounds of Scotland Yard. She was headed directly for the wrought iron fence that enclosed the compound. Indiana Jones was gaining on her steadily.  
  
Now more voices could be heard, and lights were being turned on. The commotion was drawing attention.  
  
A moment later Jones watched as the woman leapt with surprising agility on to the fence, scaled it, and dropped down on to the other side in short order. The one armed archaeologist didn't like his own chances of accomplishing the feat quite as acrobatically, but nonetheless he would try his best.  
  
He struck the fence hard and immediately began a one armed struggle to pull himself up, trying at the same time to avoid the rather pointy tips at the top of the wrought iron poles. Clumsily he toppled over the fence and landed roughly upon some protruding tree roots from the trees lining the sidewalk next to the compound.  
  
Vadoma was just getting ready to continue her run when she tripped over some of the same roots and sprawled forward. Jones half crawled, half leaped on top of her and held her fast.  
  
"Just what in the hell are you trying to do?!" He shouted at her.  
  
"Let me go!" She struggled to free herself.  
  
"No! You've got some explaining to do!"  
  
"I said let me go! Let me go!" She continued to fight with him.  
  
"Look, I've got you; I'll protect you. That...whoever it was, he can't hurt you now. But you're going to have to calm down and let me help you."  
  
She stopped struggling and turned to face him. Her eyes, which shined mysteriously in the filtered moonlight, were only inches from Jones'.  
  
"You saved my life Indiana Jones."  
  
Suddenly a multitude of voices could be heard within the compound. Vadoma's escape had been detected, and now several excited policemen moved about the grounds with flashlights.  
  
"Come on," Jones said to Vadoma, "we've got to go and explain what happened."  
  
"Explain to who?!" She whispered loudly, "I'm not going back there Indiana Jones," she said with conviction.  
  
"We've got to go and explain what happened, about the man who tried to kill you. They've probably already got him in custody, we'll ..."  
  
Jones stopped talking and listened to the voices of some policemen who approached close by to where they lay outside the fence.  
  
"There was two of 'em," Indy heard a voice say, and then he felt a chill at what he heard next.  
  
"One of 'em was that archaeology fellow. The other one workin' with him drugged me with something."  
  
It was the guard speaking; the one who'd been slipped the Mickey Finn in his tea. He sounded groggy but he was awake, and talking, and it was apparent that he thought Jones and the bogus policeman were in cahoots.  
  
"They think I was in on it," Jones said quietly to himself with a trace of incredulity in his voice, "they think I...I broke you out of jail; me and....."  
  
Vadoma looked into his eyes, "and they won't believe the truth if you tell them Indiana Jones. We've got to get away from here."  
  
"Now wait a minute, wait a minute," Jones said, "We're not going anywhere..." but in his mind he knew that her simple summation of the situation was probably pretty accurate.  
  
He'd come to Scotland Yard, in the middle of the night, on New Year's Eve no less. He'd lied to the guard at the gate, and then he'd gone and tried to see the prisoner. They'd turned him away and the next thing they know, someone has drugged the guard and the prisoner has escaped. Jones now realized that the Nazi assassin had probably slipped away in the commotion also.  
  
It didn't look good for Indiana Jones. It didn't look good at all. Jones sat there in the foggy, dark shadows of the tree trunks and contemplated the situation for a few moments. The more he thought, the more it sunk in that he was in some for some deep trouble. Who would believe him? Who could corroborate his story? Vadoma? Jones didn't think they'd put much stock in anything she could say. The assassin sure wasn't going to come along and back up Jones' story. Probably the only person in England right now who would believe him would be Marcus Brody, and he was leaving for Cairo in the morning. Jones now wished that he hadn't kept his nocturnal sojourn from Marcus and Allenby.  
  
But he had. He'd come here secretly, and while he was glad that he'd been able to save Vadoma's life, things hadn't quite worked out as he had hoped or expected. By morning he'd be a wanted man in England.  
  
He turned to Vadoma and grasped her hand, "Come on," he said, "let's go."  
  
"Where will we go?"  
  
"We've got to get out of here. And I've got to make a phone call," he answered her as they started to get up.  
  
The sound of voices drawing closer to them caused Jones and Vadoma to throw themselves back to the ground to try to sink back down into the dark shadows. They both held their breath at the sound of the approaching policemen.  
  
As he lay there, dreading the approaching footsteps, Jones suddenly realized the full extent of what he was doing. If they were to discover him now, trying to hide like this with the escaped prisoner... No amount of explaining would do.  
  
Approaching flashlights pierced the darkness, searching in wide arcs for the escaped prisoner...and her accomplices. A moment later one of the beams of light flitted over the prone huddled figures of the archaeologist and the gypsy woman. But it didn't linger. Jones breathed a sigh of relief as the beams of light moved on past their hiding place.  
  
Then his breath caught in his throat as one of the beams returned, and directed its bright light directly into his eyes.  
  
"Stand up!" a harsh voice called out, "The two of you, nice and slow. Don't try any funny business mate." 


	24. On the Run

24  
On the Run  
  
Indiana Jones slowly rose to his feet.  
  
Vadoma stood up next to him.  
  
"Keep your hands in the air where we can see them," the policeman said.  
  
There were two policemen. One of them steadily held the flashlight beam on Indy and Vadoma while the second approached slowly to search them for weapons. Indiana Jones raised the only hand he could, his right, into the air and swallowed hard. It was going to be awfully hard to explain this one. He wasn't going to have to worry about the syllabuses for spring semester now he thought; instead he'd be spending spring semester in a British prison.  
  
The policeman approached Vadoma and reached cautiously out toward her with one hand while the other held a pair of handcuffs. Jones glanced to his left and caught a glimpse of her eyes.  
  
He saw it. He could read it in her eyes. In an instant he knew what she was going to do. And in a fraction of a second he made his own decision in his mind as to what he was going to do also.  
  
The moment the policeman's hand touched Vadoma's arm she shouted at him, "Rikona!" Her leg then shot up with surprising speed and force. It caught the unprepared and unfortunate bobby between the legs, instantly dropping the man to the ground. Then she was off like a shot.  
  
Indiana Jones had less than a second to finalize his own decision on what to do next. In that short span of time a multitude of thoughts jumbled through his mind, but chief among them was the fact that there wasn't really much MORE trouble he could be in than he was now already in.  
  
The archaeologist lunged forward at the second policeman, knocking him to the ground and knocking the flashlight out of his hand. Then Jones was off, once again running after the fleeing gypsy woman.  
  
He quickly caught up with her. But this time, instead of stopping her he grabbed hold of her hand and began pulling her along. Shouts from several voices could now be heard behind them as more policemen were converging on the scene.  
  
Jones and Vadoma turned into a narrow alley. They passed through and came out on the other side on a street that ran parallel with the Thames River. The fog was thick here near the river's edge and Indy hoped that they could use that to their advantage. Jones then heard several whistles blow. Their pursuers were multiplying, and getting organized. It didn't look good for the pair of fugitives despite the darkness of night, and the London fog. They needed to find some place to hide, and quickly.  
  
Jones pulled Vadoma along, she gripped tightly to his hand, trusting in the man who had saved her life, and was now risking his future to help her to get away from the policemen.  
  
The pair descended a small sloping street that led right down to the Thames waterfront. There was a group of small warehouses positioned next to a large wharf with several river barges tied up. Indiana Jones made for the barges.  
  
"Where can we go?" She asked anxiously.  
  
"Just follow me, I've got an idea," Jones answered.  
  
They ran down the wharf towards the river. Their footsteps were muffled by the dampness of the rotted timbers of the old pier. But at the same time they had to be careful of the many holes and broken boards that awaited the unwary step, and caused them to slow down.  
  
The fog was very thick here; so thick that the barge tied up next to the pier could just barely be discerned until they were almost upon it.  
  
"Get on," Jones held his hand up to assist Vadoma to get aboard the barge.  
  
"Are you crazy Indiana Jones? What are you trying to do? They'll find us here."  
  
"Just trust me!" He said to her and gestured for her to get aboard the small, fifteen meter long, river vessel.  
  
There were actually three barges tied up together. Jones and Vadoma climbed aboard the first, and then crossed to the next one, and then finally to the furthest barge. Voices and whistles in the distance prompted them to move faster. Scotland Yard was gaining on them, and it sounded like they were on the right trail.  
  
"Help me with these lines!" Jones called out to Vadoma as he struggled to release one of the lines fastening the barge with his one good hand.  
  
She came over and helped him to untie the bow line and pull it aboard. Then, together they untied the stern line in the same fashion. Jones then pushed off with his hand, trying to move the small river craft out into the water and away from the pier area. Vadoma could see what he was trying to do now, and she also pushed with her hand. The progress was slow, but in a few moments they were away from the pier and drifting out into the river. The slow but inexorable current of the Thames eventually took hold. The small barge drifted out through the thick London fog and further towards the center of the river. To anyone viewing from the waterfront it was as if the craft had disappeared behind a thick white curtain.  
  
Just seconds after the barge disappeared into the fog a group of Scotland Yard policemen ran down the pier. They searched around in all directions with their flashlights. They shined the beams out into the river itself but were only met with the glaring reflection of the impenetrable, dirty- white fog.  
  
The slow drifting barge had left no wake, nor any trace.  
  
"Search those barges!" A policeman said as he pointed to the remaining two vessels, "Search the warehouses! They've got to be here somewhere. There's nowhere else they could have gone. They can't have just disappeared!"  
  
"Wait 'till I get me 'ands on that gypsy tart what kicked me in me family jewels!" Another of the policemen cursed.  
  
But Indiana Jones and the woman could not hear the police on the pier. Not only did the heavy fog conceal him and Vadoma from view, it also acted as a filter, muffling out the sound of the pursuing policemen and the sound of their whistles.  
  
They floated along silently. Indiana Jones sat without speaking; a tense expression of deep concentration on his face. Vadoma shivered slightly. The damp evening was growing colder as it progressed through the midnight hour. Indy noticed her shivering and pulled off his leather jacket. He draped it over her shoulders.  
  
She stared for a long time into his eyes, her ruby lips curved into an appreciative smile. Then she looked away.  
  
"What will we do now Indiana Jones? Where can we go?"  
  
Jones just looked out into the suffocating whiteness all around them, "I don't know. For now I guess that's pretty much up to the river."  
  
"We must leave this country. We must get out of England," she said.  
  
Indiana Jones listened to her words and contemplated the magnitude of the mess that he had gotten himself into. He glanced at his pocket watch for a moment. Though just minutes old, 1938 wasn't turning out to be a very good year so far.  
  
He looked down at the floorboards of the barge and shook his head, "I don't know. Give me a chance to think," he looked up and took a deep breath, getting a lung full of heavy London fog, "I've got to call Marcus."  
  
"We must leave this place Indiana Jones!" She spoke forcefully.  
  
"And go where?!" Jones replied, raising his voice.  
  
"Away from here!" Vadoma gestured around with her hands.  
  
"Maybe we'll float all the way to China!" He said exasperatedly, "I need time to think, please."  
  
She nodded as Jones went back to his quiet contemplation.  
  
"I'm in big trouble Vadoma. They think that I came to help you escape. The man who tried to kill you...he probably slipped away in all the commotion. So they don't know...they can't know that I just came to see you...that I didn't have anything to do with your...escape."  
  
Then Jones looked directly at her, "Why did you run? If you hadn't run..."  
  
She looked down, "I'm sorry Indiana Jones if I have gotten you into trouble," she said softly, "you came to help me, and you saved my life. But I had to get away from there. I was not safe there. You saw with your own eyes," her soft low voice reflected the gravity of her words, "tonight you saved my life, but what about tomorrow, or the next day, or the next week. The British policemen do not care about the life of one gypsy woman. They do not care if I live or die. They would send me back to Germany anyway," she paused and gazed deeply into Jones' eyes with her own, "and the Nazis do care if I live or die. They will kill me. They are afraid I will talk."  
  
"OK, I understand," Jones said, and then stared out into the fog, lost in thought again.  
  
"You can prove that your intentions were good Indiana Jones. You can prove that you came to help me and weren't associated with the killer...."  
  
"They won't believe me Vadoma. There are only three people who know the truth, you, me, and our friendly Nazi assassin, and right about now none of us has too much credibility."  
  
"They'll believe you if you find Richard Malboury."  
  
Jones stopped gazing out into the fog and riveted his eyes on her, "You know where they've taken him?"  
  
"Not exactly," she answered.  
  
"What do you mean not exactly? Do you or don't you?"  
  
"I know that they've taken him to Egypt. They will force him to help them...to find the..."  
  
"The Sun Tablets."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"We knew that already," Jones said, "tell me who took him."  
  
"It was SS men. They entered the country in secret, kidnapped Richard, and took him out all in the same day."  
  
"How did they get him out of the country?"  
  
"A night time rendezvous with a German submarine."  
  
"What else do you know?" Jones asked her.  
  
"I know that there's a German archaeological team and a small SS unit waiting near Luxor for his arrival."  
  
"Luxor," Jones said to himself, and then spoke again to Vadoma, "How am I supposed to get to Luxor, find Malboury, and get him away from an SS goon squad, all the while being on Scotland Yard's ten most wanted list?"  
  
"You are a very unique man Indiana Jones," Vadoma said cryptically while the hint of a smile played on her full lips. Then her smile faded and was replaced by a look of determination that shone from her dark sepia eyes, "and I will help you."  
  
Jones sat back against the gunwale of the small river craft and immersed himself in thought again. The stillness of the river and the all encompassing whiteness of the fog around them produced an eerie silence, but a silence that lent itself to contemplation. Perhaps she was right, he thought. Perhaps the only thing he could do right now was to find Malboury himself. They'd listen to him then. Otherwise...  
  
"How are we going to get out of England, never mind all the way to Egypt?" Jones asked, and then shook his head.  
  
"I will help you Indiana Jones, whatever we must do we must do."  
  
"We don't even have any money," Jones said, "we're not going to get very far," he gazed out again at the fog, "we might as well just turn ourselves in," he said dejectedly.  
  
"No!" She said.  
  
"Look, like I said before, I've got to call Marcus."  
  
"Who is Marcus?"  
  
"He's my friend."  
  
Just then the small craft shuddered as if it had struck something and Vadoma was thrown forward. Jones caught her in his arms. The firm, gentle curves of her body pressed hard up against him as she sought to regain her balance.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said.  
  
"Don't be. It's not your fault. I think we've struck land," Jones replied.  
  
Vadoma's dark hair brushed up against his face and Jones breathed in as he helped her back onto the short bench where she was sitting; her hair had a mysteriously fragrant redolence that Jones liked.  
  
"We're beached," he said and helped her to her feet.  
  
Jones took Vadoma by the hand and the two of them walked forward to where the front portion of the barge had apparently beached itself. They might have traveled twenty feet, or they might have traveled miles since untying the lines from the pier, there was no way to tell.  
  
They stepped down from the beached barge onto a sandy stretch of river bank.  
  
"Where are we?" Vadoma asked.  
  
Jones looked around, "I don't know, but just stay with me."  
  
He was no longer afraid that she would bolt on him. They were now in it together, and she knew that as well as he did.  
  
They walked up the sandy bank and found a small set of stone steps. They climbed up and found themselves on a dark London street corner. Jones looked up and read the street signs. He took a few moments to think, and then he glanced at his watch again.  
  
"I've got an idea. Come on, we've only got a few hours of darkness left, we've got to use them wisely."  
  
Hand in hand they proceeded down the foggy London street. 


	25. Fugitives

25  
Fugitives  
  
Indiana Jones and Vadoma Maniskelko walked hand in hand down the quiet, fog shrouded London street. It was the darkest part of night and there was little or no activity on the mostly deserted streets. However there was the occasional vehicle that drove by, feeling its way through the pea soup. For the most part the cars that passed by carried revelers celebrating the New Year; jumping from party to party, or tavern to tavern, or maybe for the more prudent, going home. But Jones and the gypsy woman could never know when it might instead be a police car out searching for the fugitives, and so each time a vehicle passed them by they pressed themselves into the shadows of buildings, or ducked into alleys.  
  
After a time they approached a large building and Indiana Jones stopped and looked up. Though he could just barely see it through the fog, there high up above them was the venerable old clock of Big Ben.  
  
To Jones' surprise he realized that rather than being carried down the Thames, they had instead been carried a short ways upstream before being deposited on the north bank of the river.  
  
"Must have been some kind of countercurrent," Indy mumbled to himself as he continued to look at the building in front of them.  
  
"What did you say Indiana Jones?" Vadoma asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing, just thinking out loud" Jones answered, and then turned to face her, "and you can call me 'Indy', OK?"  
  
She looked into his eyes, "Yes ...Indy," She said.  
  
Jones felt something inside when he heard her speak his more familiar nickname for the first time with her soft, low voice. It was brief, but it was something.  
  
"Come on," he took her hand again and led her across, and then down the street in the direction of a tavern where music was playing and light shone out from the windows onto the damp, slick sidewalk outside. It was apparent that these New Year's Eve celebrants weren't calling it quits for some time to come.  
  
Vadoma looked at him curiously, "You're surely not going to go in there are you?"  
  
"No," Jones answered her, "though if there's ever been a time when I could use a drink, it's now."  
Outside the boisterous tavern was a long line of parked vehicles. By the number of Rolls, Bentleys, and Aston Martins, Jones could tell that this could probably be regarded as a rather upscale group of party-goers.  
  
"No," Indiana Jones continued talking, "unfortunately I won't be joining any of these fine people for a drink," his eyes went up and down along the row of automobiles, "but one of them is going to need a ride home tonight."  
  
Indiana Jones chose a low profile, Aston Martin, two-seater Roadster. It was small, and the low profile would make it harder to spot from any distance; and in case it came down to it, it looked faster than any police car.  
  
The archaeologist threw wary glances all around, and then using his increasingly versatile cast once again, he broke out the front fly window of the sports car. The glass shattered with a quietly violent, crystalline sound. Jones reached in and lifted the door latch mechanism and opened the door. Then he slid in behind the wheel, reached over and opened the passenger's side door.  
  
"Get in, hurry up!" He called to her, and then angled his head down towards the underside of the steering column.  
  
Vadoma looked around nervously and then got into the vehicle. She studied Indiana Jones curiously as the archaeologist seemed to fumble around with something under the steering wheel.  
  
"What are you doing...Indy?" She shook her head as she continued to watch him.  
  
Jones ignored the question for a moment, and then sat up and looked out at the dark street, "Look in the storage compartment in front of you," he said to her, "Find me something sharp, and I think you'd better hurry."  
  
A lone figure approached along the sidewalk in front of them. Jones and Vadoma both looked up and held their breath. It was dark, and they hoped that the interloper might pass by without seeing them, but Indiana Jones was going over in his mind what he might have to do if not. Jones hoped whoever it was wouldn't take any notice of the broken pane of glass on the fly window either.  
  
They both sat perfectly still as the figure approached closer, and then Jones breathed a sigh of relief. It was a man who walked along towards them, but judging from the way he was staggering he was lucky if he could even see the ground under his own feet, never mind Indy and Vadoma.  
  
"Happy New Year," Jones mumbled, and then turned to Vadoma again, "go ahead, look inside the compartment, I need something sharp."  
  
Vadoma did as he said, opening the little storage compartment in the dashboard and fumbling around inside for a moment. She pulled out an object and held it up, "Will this work?" she asked as she held up a small pen knife.  
  
Jones snatched it from her hand and angled his head back down under the steering column as before. A few moments later he touched two wires together and the vehicle's engine coughed, and then started up. Indiana Jones twisted the wires together then sat back up, put the car in gear, and peeled away from the curb and into the street.  
  
About a minute later they were driving down Victoria Street. Jones kept the headlights off. The hour was late, and while there was more traffic than usual this night being that it was New Year's Eve, it still wasn't a time for vehicles to normally be about. The less attention they called to themselves the better.  
  
Vadoma stared at Indiana Jones with a look that was a mix of curiosity, admiration, and something else that she didn't quite know how to label in her mind just yet.  
  
"Where did you learn to do that?" she asked him with a curious smile.  
  
"Oh, it was a long time ago, on the South Side of Chicago." He looked over at her, "...It's a long story."  
  
"I wouldn't think that an archaeologist and a ...good man like you could also be a thief."  
  
Indy gave a wry, half smile, "Don't worry, we're not stealing it, we're just borrowing it. ...And I'm not a thief."  
  
"What about the window you broke?"  
  
"I'll pay for it."  
  
"I thought you said you didn't have any money."  
  
Jones paused for a moment to read a street sign, and then turned back to her, "I didn't, but I will soon. That's where we're going right now."  
  
"What are you going to do now Indiana Jones, rob a bank?"  
  
"...not exactly," Jones answered.  
  
Traveling with the lights off in the fog made for slow going, and Indiana Jones had to slow down at each intersection and street corner to read the signs; sometimes stopping altogether. But despite the slow going they eventually made their way through central London to Hampstead Road where they headed north. After a time Jones felt it was safe to cut the headlights back on.  
  
He could drive faster now, but it wasn't easy driving the car with one arm in a cast. Jones had to control the steering wheel with the tips of his fingers protruding from the cast every time he had to reach across to shift gears with his right hand.  
  
"Where are we going?" Vadoma asked him.  
  
"The British Museum," Indiana Jones answered her, "There's one more chance for us to straighten this mess out, but I can't do it without the help of my friend Marcus Brody."  
  
"I won't go back to the jail Indy," Vadoma said with conviction.  
  
"You won't have to," Jones said, and then turned to look at her.  
  
Vadoma read his eyes, and the message they sent went straight to her heart. Without the need for words she knew that she could trust this man; this man who had saved her life.  
  
"But there won't be anyone at the museum at this time," she said.  
  
"No but there's a telephone."  
  
"The museum will be locked, how will we get in?"  
  
Jones held up his cast, "I've got a key," he deadpanned.  
  
They drove on in silence for several minutes. After a while Jones made a right turn on to New Oxford Street as they drew nearer to the Bloomsbury district, and the British Museum.  
  
Jones turned to her, "So, what is a 'rikona'?" He asked her.  
  
Vadoma seemed surprised at the question.  
  
"You've used that word twice now tonight," Indy said, "once on me."  
  
"A 'rikona' is a dog," she answered him.  
  
Indiana Jones nodded, "I didn't think it was a compliment."  
  
She studied him for a few moments, "I think you are a man who knows many languages Indy."  
  
Jones said nothing, but gave a slight nod.  
  
"But not many gadje...that is our word for outsiders...knows anything of the Rom language," she smiled, "but I can teach you."  
  
"I'd like that," he said.  
  
They turned left on to Bloomsbury Street and in a couple of minutes they arrived at the British Museum. Indiana Jones maneuvered the little sports car into the back lot of the museum and found a darkened spot next to a back entrance. He reached under the steering column and pulled the two wires apart that he'd connected before to start the vehicle, and the engine died.  
  
Jones opened the door and got out. Vadoma followed him.  
  
Indiana Jones walked around to the west side of the museum complex and then proceeded into the garden towards a row of shrubbery that flanked the building. A minute later he came upon a low window; a window that opened into the museum's basement.  
  
Indiana Jones wasted no time; there wasn't any to waste. He swung his now seemingly omnipotent cast at the low window and shattered it. Then he cleared away the remaining shards with a few sweeping motions.  
  
He offered his hand to Vadoma, "Come on," he said, and guided her through the opening he'd made. He followed her inside and in a few moments they found themselves outside the basement office of the archaeologist Lord Richard Malboury. Vadoma stared at the locked door for a moment, but then Indiana Jones reached up to the band of his fedora and pulled out the key.  
  
"I knew there was a reason I kept this," he said as he placed the key in the lock and turned it.  
  
They entered the office. Jones made sure to close the door before turning on the light switch.  
  
He went to the desk and reached for the telephone, pausing for a few seconds to remember the number to John Allenby's home, and then dialed.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"May I please speak with Marcus Brody?" Jones spoke into the telephone.  
  
Indy heard a multitude of voices in the background before Marcus finally came on the line.  
  
"Indy!" Marcus said excitedly, "is that you?!"  
  
Jones hesitated for a moment, "Yes Marcus, it's me."  
  
"Indy where are you?!"  
  
Jones paused, "Doesn't matter. Marcus, it's not what they think."  
  
"Indy, you've got to stop! You've got to turn yourself and the woman in to the Police!"  
  
Indiana Jones closed his eyes for a moment, "Marcus, like I said, it's not what you think...it's not what they think."  
  
Inspector Davies came on the line.  
  
"Jones! What in the hell are you doing?!" The Scotland Yard policeman shouted.  
  
Indiana Jones pulled the telephone receiver away from his ear for a moment.  
  
He placed the telephone back to his ear, "Put Marcus back on!" he commanded.  
  
Jones heard more voices in the background before Marcus came on the line again.  
  
"Indy, what on earth is going on!?"  
  
"Listen Marcus, like I said, it's not what they think. I can explain everything...but it will take time."  
  
"Indy they think you're helping the Nazis!"  
  
Marcus' words sent a chill up Indiana Jones' spine.  
  
"Listen Marcus! It's not what they think! You've got to trust me..."  
  
"Indy, you know I trust you, but what in the devil is going on? They think you helped the Nazi agent escape from Scotland Yard."  
  
Jones closed his eyes again and let out a frustrated breath.  
  
"Listen Marcus, I think I know where they've taken Malboury. I'm...I'm going to go and get him. Tell them that!"  
  
Davies came back on the line, "Jones! Surrender yourself and the prisoner immediately!"  
Indiana Jones slowly placed the telephone back down. He paused for a few moments. Vadoma studied his tense expression, and then reached her hand out to him.  
  
The archaeologist turned around and went to the back wall of the office. There he pulled the picture of Malboury in front of the Temple of Karnak off of the wall and placed it down on the desk. He spun the combination of the safe, opened it, and pulled out the envelope full of money.  
  
"Let's go," was all he said to Vadoma as he stuffed the bills into his breast pocket. 


	26. Channel Crossing

26  
Channel Crossing  
  
The early morning sun of the very first day of 1938 found Indiana Jones leaning on the rail of the cross channel ferry boat "Channel Mistress", and gazing out across rolling green waves. Actually there was no real sun. The warm, wet, winter front that had passed through London the previous evening had moved east along with the two fugitives.  
  
Vadoma stood next to him in the early morning mist and drizzle. Neither of them was feeling too well. The pitching and rolling of the ferry was both slow and drearily regular; and neither of them had slept at all the previous night.  
  
They had driven through the night from London to Dover and gotten aboard the ferry at dawn. Jones knew that it was crucial to get out of the country as quickly as possible, before Scotland Yard could organize their resources to stop them. They had succeeded, and now the green and brown coastline of France began to appear through the haze in front of them.  
  
He had left behind a brief note, and a generous amount of money in the Aston Martin roadster; enough to compensate the owner for the broken fly window and plenty more. Indiana Jones was not a man to take without giving back.  
  
Vadoma wore Jones' leather jacket. She shielded her face from the increasing wind and spoke to him, "What are we going to do next?" She asked the simple question.  
  
Jones felt the first drops of a new rain squall, "Why don't we go back inside," he said.  
  
They went back inside the large sheltered lounge area of the ferry boat where most of the passengers preferred to be on this raw morning. Jones selected an out of the way corner bench and they sat down.  
  
Vadoma appeared troubled.  
  
So was Jones. He kept hoping that he would wake up to find that all of the recent events had been nothing but a long, bad dream. But as he gazed around at his surroundings, and the rolling deck of the ferry, the reality of the situation showed itself starkly.  
  
He looked over at Vadoma again. She was very beautiful, he thought. Despite being somewhat disheveled by the lack of sleep and the events of the previous evening her striking, natural beauty shone through like the sparkle of a flawless gem. But was she anything more than just a beautiful reminder of the enormous mess that he was in?  
  
But Jones was beginning to shake off the last of his melancholy and worry. He'd decided that despite the difficult position he was in, moping and worrying wasn't going to do him any good. Indiana Jones was by nature a man of action, and the sooner he put a plan of action together the better.  
  
He'd decided that indeed the only way out of this quandary would be to try to locate the missing Egyptologist Richard Malboury himself and return him safely to England. Then he could clear up the mess with Scotland Yard and Vadoma's escape. It was a tall order, but there really wasn't any other choice for him now.  
  
But he knew also that he would need Vadoma to verify what had really happened, and she would need to come clean about her involvement with the Nazis. Jones believed that they would be lenient and forgiving with her once they knew the whole story, especially if she helped him find Malboury. But they wouldn't even listen unless Indiana Jones could produce Malboury.....alive.  
  
"Indiana Jones I must tell you..." Vadoma started to say something but then stopped. Her eyes reflected turmoil in her heart.  
  
Jones stared at her for a moment, "Yes? Tell me what Vadoma?"  
  
Her eyes began to water and tears began to brim in her pretty dark eyes.  
  
"What is it?" Jones spoke softly to her.  
  
She looked down, and then back up at him, "It is my sister," she said finally.  
  
Now it was Jones' turn to look down; and he didn't know what to say.  
  
"I must go and help her," Vadoma said with a sob.  
  
"But you can't Vadoma. It's far too dangerous. You know that."  
  
She continued to sob softly for a few moments and then sniffed hard, stopping her tears with a stoic abruptness.  
  
Indiana Jones knew in his heart that it didn't look very good for Vadoma's sister Pesha in Germany. The Nazis had already tried to kill Vadoma in England to keep her quiet. There was every reason to believe that they had already done away with her poor sister, or worse. The Nazis discarded people who they had no further use for. Sadly it was probably too late for Pesha. Jones could only hope that they could reach Malboury in time.  
  
The archaeologist reached out and took the beautiful gypsy woman's hand in his own and looked sternly but kindly into her eyes, "Listen Vadoma, I know it's difficult for you....but you've got to understand that...there might not be anything that you can do for Pesha."  
  
"What are you saying Indiana Jones? That I should just leave my sister to...to...?"  
  
Her eyes filled with tears again and she began to sob. She threw her arms around Indy's neck and buried her face in his chest.  
  
Jones placed his arm around her slim waist. He gripped the small of her back and then ran his hand under the leather jacket, rubbing up her back to her shoulder blades. He pulled her close, and then closer. Gently he stroked her redolent, dark hair; substituting tender caresses for elusive words of comfort.  
  
As Jones held the woman close and felt her heart beat mere inches from his own he could almost feel the unbreakable blood bond that she felt for her sister; and the grief at thoughts of what may have happened to her at the hands of the Gestapo.  
  
Indiana Jones didn't know how long they stayed like that, holding tightly to one another. From sheer exhaustion Vadoma had fallen asleep with her head cradled on his chest, and Jones had also dozed off. The sounds and commotion as the ferry prepared to dock awakened them.  
  
Jones stood up and helped Vadoma to her feet, "Come on, we're almost moored."  
  
The pair walked out on to the open passenger deck of the ferry and watched as the last of the lines were made fast to the pier. The weather had cleared somewhat and there was even a hint of sun here and there through the clouds.  
  
They descended down to the main deck where the gangway was being put across. A few moments later cars and people were exiting the ferry and making their way down the pier. Jones and Vadoma walked across the gangway and stepped on to the soil of Continental Europe. Well, not exactly, they had to make it down the length of the pier to the road first.  
  
Then Indiana Jones suddenly froze.  
  
At the end of the pier there was a gate, and standing on the other side of the gate checking everyone who exited the ferry was a group of gendarmes; French policemen. It was apparent from the way they observed and checked everyone passing through the gate that they were looking for someone specific. Indiana Jones' nose told him that they were looking for him and Vadoma.  
  
"What's wrong Indy?" Vadoma asked when she saw that Jones had stopped. Then she followed his gaze down the pier to the gate, and the gendarmes.  
  
"They're waiting for us," Jones said, "Scotland Yard must have cabled ahead. They know we were on the ferry."  
  
"What shall we do?" Vadoma asked nervously.  
  
"I don't know," Jones answered in a steely voice, "but we're not going that way," he turned back towards the moored ferry boat, "come on," he said.  
  
Vadoma followed him, but her face showed her confusion, "We can't go back there Indy. We can't go back to England."  
  
Indiana Jones turned to her, "Who says we're going back to England?"  
  
He led her by the hand back towards the ferry boat. They made their way through the now tapering stream of people and proceeded along the pier towards the stern area of the ferry. Jones walked over to the edge of the pier next to where one of the breast lines was secured to a large bollard and looked down.  
  
Vadoma turned and gazed anxiously up the pier towards the gate, and the gendarmes in the distance for a few moments.  
  
When she turned back around, Indiana Jones had disappeared. 


	27. Calais

27  
Calais  
  
"Indy?!" Vadoma shouted loudly as she frantically searched her eyes around the pier looking for the vanished archaeologist, "Indy? Where are you?!"  
  
"Shhhhh! Hold it down will you? I'm down here." Jones' voice called out from somewhere below.  
  
"Down where?" She asked, still searching around in confusion.  
  
"Over here." He called back to her from below the edge of the pier.  
  
Vadoma walked over and looked down. Indiana Jones was standing atop one of the huge, rubber fenders that buffeted the ferry boat against the pier to prevent damage to both.  
  
He held his hand up towards her, "Come on, jump down."  
  
She hesitated, and then Jones urged her on, "Come on! I know you can do it. I saw you jump that fence at Scotland Yard. This ought to be a piece of cake. Look," he held up his cast, "I made it with one arm."  
  
"Well you are not wearing a dress," she answered back.  
  
"Come on, we've got to hurry. I'll catch you, I promise."  
  
Vadoma stood at the very edge of the pier, cast a glance back toward the gendarmes, and then artfully launched herself over the side. Her descent was surprisingly acrobatic and graceful, but nonetheless the landing was unavoidably a bit awkward as Indiana Jones reached out to help catch her and break her fall.  
  
She came down on top of him. Her dress flew up in the air and Jones grabbed hard with his one good hand to prevent her from falling into the water. The pair stumbled in a brief, intimate, clumsy dance. After a moment Indy suddenly realized that his hand inadvertently gripped tightly to Vadoma's firm, shapely backside; grasping a handful of her silky, black panties.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said, as he quickly removed his hand after they were stabilized. He began to redden with embarrassment.  
  
She smoothed out her dress with a dignified look, and then could barely suppress a smile as she saw Jones' face turning a brighter shade of red, "Don't worry Indy. Thank you for catching me. That water looks cold."  
  
"Yeah... well... follow me," he said as his color returned to normal and he began to climb up and into the understructure of the long, ferry boat pier.  
  
Between and amongst the pilings of the wharf was an underlying support grid of wood and steel beams. Jones and Vadoma began to walk, crawl, and step through. Many of the beams were encrusted with barnacles and the progress was slow lest they cut their hands, arms, and legs to ribbons.  
  
Many crabs also inhabited the salty, dimly lit, little world of the wharf's underside. As Jones and Vadoma moved along most of the crabs fled in terror, leaping into the water, but some of them reared up on their six legs and held their claws out menacingly, protecting their turf at the approach of the archaeologist and the beautiful gypsy woman. With a quick swipe of his hand Jones cleared away the bravest of the little arthropods, sending them down with a splash to join their more cowardly brethren.  
  
The going was slow, and it took almost ten minutes, but Jones and the woman eventually worked their way to the beach. Now, instead of water below them there was the soft sand of the Pas de Calais. They dropped down from the understructure of the wharf and on to the soil of France.  
  
Cautiously the pair emerged from under the pier.  
  
"Put your arm around me," Indy said to her as he slipped his arm around her shoulders, "make it look like we're two lovers just out for a walk on the beach."  
  
Vadoma slipped her arm around Jones' waist and the two emerged from under the pier and proceeded slowly along the beach. For about ten seconds Indiana Jones thought that maybe the ruse had worked, but the sound of a shrill whistle quickly dispelled that notion.  
  
Jones wheeled around in time to see four gendarmes running towards them from the pier, pointing and gesticulating for them to halt.  
  
"Run!" He shouted and grabbed Vadoma's hand.  
  
They took off down the beach, struggling to gain speed in the soft sand that sucked and gripped at their feet. As he ran Jones turned around to look at his pursuers and was alarmed by what he saw.  
  
The French policemen had split up. Two were running along the beach behind them, but two more were running along the road that ran parallel to the beach. The gendarmes on the road, unhampered by the soft, clinging, beach sand, were gaining rapidly. With the ocean to their right side Indiana Jones knew he and Vadoma had to make a move right now or their escape would soon be cut off.  
  
The pair made an abrupt, ninety-degree turn to the left and ran for the road. The gendarmes closed in rapidly as Jones and Vadoma struggled through the beach sand to reach the low seawall and the road beyond it. Within mere seconds of the grasp of their pursuers they vaulted over the seawall hand in hand and down on to the road. There they made for one of the narrow, cobblestone side streets that led towards the center of town.  
  
The gendarmes shouted and cursed in French; sounding so close to Jones that he could almost feel their breath on his neck. The archaeologist, still gripping tightly to Vadoma's hand, turned down an alley between two multi- storey provincial dwellings. So too did their pursuers.  
  
Up ahead in the alley a group of trash cans gave Jones an idea. As they passed by the cans he turned briefly and kicked them over. The delaying tactic was effective as the gendarmes slowed down to step through the mess, and Indy and Vadoma exited out of the alley before the policemen could get them in view again.  
  
Once out of the alley Jones and the woman ran down the narrow sidewalk. There was another alley on the right but the archaeologist purposely passed it by as it was the most likely place for them to run to. Instead he and Vadoma made for a second alley that was twenty meters further down. It was a gamble, but Jones thought it would pay off.  
  
It didn't.  
  
They were unable to reach the second alley before the gendarmes burst out on to the street and once again got them in their sights.  
  
The fugitives continued to run down the sidewalk towards a bend in the road ahead. Both were now gasping for air. The struggle through the underside of the pier, the desperate beach run, and now the pursuit through the quaint old streets of Calais had taken their toll. They were at the end of their endurance. Jones knew they couldn't just keep on running, and needed to find somewhere to hide.  
  
They reached the bend in the road and ducked down yet another alley. Once in the alley Indiana Jones stopped for a moment. He and Vadoma stared at one another. Both of their chests heaved in and out in a desperate effort to feed more oxygen to their exhausted muscles. Indy looked around quickly and his eyes settled on a fire escape ladder that led up to the flat roof of a two storey dwelling. She followed his eyes to the ladder. Wordlessly they turned and nodded to each other.  
  
As rapidly as their tired bodies could carry them they scurried up the ladder. Jones struggled with his cast to make it up the ladder before they could be seen by the gendarmes. Once atop the roof they ran over to a small chimney and lay down behind it. Below them they could hear the shouts of the French police, and could only hope that their climb to the rooftop had gone unseen.  
  
Bit it hadn't.  
  
They were foiled by a six year old.  
  
As the gendarmes passed by, the little boy emerged from the doorway of his home and shyly pointed to the fire escape ladder.  
  
Loud footsteps clanged on the metal rungs.  
  
"Damnit!" Jones cursed as he stood up and helped Vadoma back to her feet.  
  
They ran to the opposite side of the roof where Jones searched for a ladder to climb down, but there was none. Then he checked the back side, but there also was no ladder. There wasn't much choice as to what to do next, he thought.  
  
"Take my hand!" He shouted and gripped hers tightly, "Run with me! Jump...on three!"  
  
He turned back for a moment to see the gendarmes move up the final rungs of the ladder and on to the roof, and then pulled Vadoma along with him, "One! ...Two!" he shouted as they ran for the opposite side of the roof, "...Three!"  
  
Hand in hand they leaped the distance over an alley to the roof of the next building. They landed roughly, stumbled, but stayed on their feet.  
  
The distance over the alley wasn't that great, but it was enough to give pause to the two gendarmes who stood and mutely watched their prey get away. A moment of silent contemplation and a glance down into the alley three storeys below convinced them both that even such a short jump as this wasn't in their job description.  
  
Indiana Jones turned and glanced back. He could only hope that the jump to the roof of this building had bought them enough time. He hoped too that there was a fire escape ladder on this one.  
  
There wasn't.  
  
But there was a rooftop door that led into the building. They ran towards it and Jones grabbed the handle.  
  
It was locked from the inside.  
  
"Shit!" Jones exclaimed as the voices of several policemen could be heard on the street below where they gathered.  
  
"There's nowhere else to run!" Vadoma said. The disappointment of defeat was evident in her voice.  
  
Jones looked around, "There's always somewhere to run," he said with grim optimism.  
  
Then he let go of her hand and charged at the locked door. He slammed into it with his right shoulder, throwing all of his 175 pounds into it. The wood of the doorframe around the lock bolt shattered and the door swung open inwardly. Indiana Jones did not have a chance to catch his balance and the archaeologist tumbled down a stairway and landed roughly on the second floor hallway.  
  
Vadoma ran down the stairs behind him, "Indy! Are you hurt!?"  
  
Jones just moaned and then stood back up slowly. He was groggy, and his eyes were unfocused.  
  
"I'm fine," he slurred as Vadoma helped him back to his feet.  
  
The sound of policemen entering the dwelling from below brought Jones quickly back to his senses. He glanced around the hallway. It appeared to be an apartment house. Jones began trying the doors of each flat, one by one making his way down the hallway. The first six doors he tried were all locked.  
  
The heavy footsteps of the gendarmes now began to clamor up the stairwell to the upstairs landing. Jones frantically tried another two doors only to find them also locked and was preparing to repeat his successful rooftop act when Vadoma called to him.  
  
"This one is open," she said, pushing open the door to flat number thirteen.  
  
Jones looked up at the number over the door, "Swell!" he said cynically, and then ran with Vadoma into the flat and closed the door behind them.  
  
They entered the dwelling through the kitchen and heard a piano being played in the next room. Jones needed to find a way out, and quickly. He burst into the next room looking for a window.  
  
Both piano teacher and student alike froze, both of their hands hovering over the suddenly silent piano keys. They stared open mouthed at the intruding archaeologist and his beautiful gypsy sidekick.  
  
"Pardone... pardone mademoiselles," Jones apologized to the two women in very poor French as he ran quickly over to the window and raised his cast up to smash it.  
  
"Indy wait!" Vadoma shouted as she too ran over to the window. In a few seconds she flipped the lock and slid the window up, "You don't have to break it."  
  
"Details," Jones quipped as he put his head out and took a look out at the street below. There was a small café directly underneath. There was an awning, and several sidewalk tables. Though it was winter, there were still several hardy patrons enjoying a morning latte outside on the sidewalk.  
  
Jones pulled his head back inside and spoke to Vadoma, "After me, you jump to the awning, then down to the sidewalk! You won't get hurt! I'll catch you!"  
  
Indiana Jones stepped out on to the window ledge and dropped down. He bounced on the tight fabric of the café awning and then tumbled off, landing almost cat-like on his feet on the sidewalk. The morning latte drinkers stood up and gaped at the fedora clad archaeologist with the decorative cast who had seemingly just fallen from the sky.  
  
Jones ignored them and glanced back up at the window where Vadoma prepared to exit out on to the ledge, "Hurry!" He shouted up to her.  
  
The door to flat thirteen burst open and a trio of gendarmes stormed into the kitchen and then through the doorway into the next room, adding yet more excitement to what was becoming the most interesting piano lesson ever for the young woman who sat at the keys.  
  
Vadoma stepped out on to the ledge to jump.  
  
"Hurry!" Jones again urged her.  
  
But it was too late, and a set of hands grabbed her from behind before she could jump . Indiana Jones watched helplessly from below as the gendarmes began to pull Vadoma back inside.  
  
"INNNNDDYYYY!! HELP MEEEEE!!" 


	28. Dutch Road Trip

28  
Dutch Road Trip  
  
Indiana Jones stood helplessly by on the little sidewalk café as he watched Vadoma being pulled back into the window above. A small crowd was beginning to gather to watch the commotion and stare at the unusual American with the decorative cast on his left arm who had just jumped from the same window. Jones knew that the police would undoubtedly be coming around in just a few moments to grab him too. There wasn't much time to decide what to do, and there weren't many options. If he just stood there he would be arrested. If he fled then he would have to leave Vadoma. If he tried to go back into the apartment building he would also probably just be arrested as well.  
  
Jones had already gone several moments overtime in making his decision, he thought, as he saw more and more people gathering around. But he felt he couldn't just leave Vadoma behind. Not only did he need her to help clear up the mess with Scotland Yard, but also ...  
  
Vadoma reappeared in the window. She was fighting and struggling to get back out on the ledge. Jones could have known the girl wouldn't go down easily. She was a fighter. And it appeared that she might be gaining the upper hand.  
  
She was almost all the way back out of the window again but a gendarme's hand still gripped tightly to the strap of her dress. She fought and wiggled to free herself but the man continued to hold tightly. Her dark hair flew wildly, and gypsy curses flew from her lips as she struggled to get free from the hands that held her. Then Jones saw her raise up one of her legs and kick backward. The blow struck firmly into the chest of her adversary, knocking him to his knees. A moment later she jumped free of the window, bounced lithely on the café awning, and rolled off into the arms of Indiana Jones who then placed her gently to the ground.  
  
To Indiana Jones' absolute surprise, the small crowd that had gathered around broke into a spontaneous round of exuberant cheers and applause. But the five policemen who next rounded the corner weren't cheering.  
  
Jones and Vadoma didn't have time to take a bow or make an encore.  
  
"Come on!" Jones grabbed her hand, "this way!"  
  
They made their way through the small crowd, who parted for them, patting them both on the back and cheering them as they passed through. The police gave chase, but the crowd was still enthralled by the unexpected and dramatic, live, street theater they'd just witnessed. In a spontaneous group decision to protect the two star actors they swallowed up the gendarmes, jostling them and pushing them back. It was just the delay that the two fugitives needed.  
  
Indy and Vadoma were again on the run through the streets of Calais. Their police pursuers were now multiplying though. The gendarmes didn't like to be embarrassed and after the incident with the café crowd they were angry. More than a dozen gendarmes now prowled the streets searching for the archaeologist and the gypsy girl.  
  
Jones knew that it would probably be best to get out of the town and into the countryside as fast as possible. To that end they stealthily made their way through the back streets and alleys and headed inland, away from the sea. But with the number of policemen now searching for them it might be unlikely that they would make it out of town at all. They were both exhausted and needed to rest. And so it was that as they rounded the corner of a largely deserted street, Jones saw the answer to their immediate needs.  
  
It was a farm wagon, piled high with hay.  
  
Jones pulled Vadoma over towards the wagon and stared at it for a moment, "This is it. This is what we need."  
  
"What are you talking about Indy? There's...no horse."  
  
Indiana Jones studied the little street in every direction, satisfied as he could be that they were alone and unseen, "No, no, we're not going anywhere with this, but we can hide here until nightfall."  
  
Now it was Vadoma's turn to check all around to make sure they were not seen by anyone, "Alright," she said as Jones helped her up on to the wagon.  
  
Voices could be heard. They were in the distance, but they were approaching.  
  
"Hurry Indy!" Vadoma said as Jones climbed up on to the wagon behind her.  
  
Quickly they set about digging into the large pile of hay, creating a 'nest' in which they could hide. Once inside they covered themselves over completely, spurred on by the approaching voices of policemen.  
  
Moments later the policemen arrived in the small back street. Indy and Vadoma lay silently and held their breath. The voices approached closer and Jones could only hope that they had covered up their hiding place without any tell-tale signs.  
  
The policemen were conversing with one another in French that was far too fast for Jones to keep up with. And even if Vadoma knew French, he wasn't about to ask her what they were saying now. He closed his eyes and lay as still as possible to avoid any possible motion of the haystack atop them.  
  
This time luck was on their side though, and the policemen moved on without as much as a second glance at the hay wagon. Finally Jones allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. In the close dark confines of their 'nest' Vadoma could feel Jones' body relaxing, and hers followed suit. Both of them were beyond exhaustion.  
  
Wordlessly Vadoma snuggled her body up closer to Indiana Jones. Just as wordlessly he reached out for her and pulled her closer to him. He liked the warmth of her body and he liked the way her soft breasts felt against his chest. A few moments later they both fell fast asleep.  
  
He didn't know how long they had slept, but Jones was awakened in a most violent fashion.  
  
"Hey!" he shouted and stood up as he felt the prongs of a pitchfork jab at his backside.  
  
Luckily the pitchfork hadn't hit with enough force to cause any harm, but Jones knew that the jig was up.  
  
They had been discovered.  
  
Indiana Jones jumped straight up and out of the haystack like some kind of life-sized 'jack in the box', Vadoma stood up next to him. The stunned farmer just stared at them with wide eyes for a moment, but then recovered from his surprise and leveled his pitchfork menacingly.  
  
Jones looked all around. They weren't where they had been before, and there was now a horse attached to the front of the wagon.  
  
"Do you know any French?" Indy asked Vadoma.  
  
"No," she answered him.  
  
Indiana Jones then turned to the farmer, "Ah, er, do you speak English?" He asked sheepishly.  
  
The farmer ignored him and turned his head to the side while keeping his eyes on them. Then he opened his mouth and took a breath as if getting ready to shout.  
  
"No!" Indiana Jones shook his head imploringly. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out several large denomination English Pound notes, "Do you understand this kind of English?"  
  
The farmer's eyes opened wider as he stared at the money, "Oui," he answered after a moment, and lowered his pitchfork.  
  
An hour later Jones and Vadoma were enjoying a delicious breakfast in the home of Jacque Le Claire on his farm in the countryside just north of Calais. It turned out that Jacque spoke very good English after all; but he also spoke the language of money. For a handsome fee Jacque had smuggled the pair of fugitives out of Calais, and now as they ate, Jones discussed with him the details of the next favor he needed.  
  
"Amsterdam eh?" The farmer said as he poured another glass of wine for himself.  
  
"Yes, Amsterdam," Jones answered him as he spread some more pate on to his bread and took a big bite.  
  
"My brother, he has a motorcar. He can take you," Jacque said.  
  
"When? ...And how much?" Jones wasted no time in asking the most important questions.  
  
Jacque glanced at the clock on the wall, "Pierre has gone to Graveline, but he will be back before noon. You can leave then."  
  
"How much?" Jones repeated the earlier question.  
  
Jacque stared at him for a moment, "Five hundred American Dollars."  
  
"One hundred English Pounds," Jones countered.  
  
"Two hundred Pounds," the old farmer haggled.  
  
"One fifty."  
  
"One seventy-five."  
  
"Deal," Jones and the farmer concluded the deal with a handshake.  
  
After eating, Indy and Vadoma relaxed at the kitchen table and sipped some of the fine white wine that Jacque had provided.  
  
"Only the French would drink wine with breakfast," he said with a chuckle.  
  
Vadoma looked across the table at him, "Indy, tell me again why we are going to Holland. I think that I do not understand. What is there for us in Amsterdam?"  
  
Jones sipped his wine and then placed his glass down on the table, "There's a man there named Jan Van der Moot. He owes me a favor...a big favor; and he can help us."  
  
"Why does he owe you a favor?" She asked.  
  
"I saved his life once in Borneo," Jones answered her.  
  
"Is this what you do Indiana Jones? ...go around the world saving peoples' lives?"  
  
"Sometimes," Indy deadpanned.  
  
"So how did you save this man's life?" Vadoma asked curiously.  
  
Indiana Jones paused, and then shook his head slightly, "Oh, it's a long story; too long to tell here. It involves cannibals, head hunters, Chinese pirates, a shipload of opium, a fortune in smuggled rubies, and a Dutch Princess with a bad attitude."  
  
"Sounds like an interesting story," she said.  
  
"Yeah, I'll tell you about it some time," he said, "but not now," he gazed out the window, "I think our ride is here."  
  
A Peugeot sedan pulled up to the house and a short, middle aged Frenchman stepped out and walked up to the house whistling.  
  
"Ah, Pierre is back," Jacque said as he came back into the kitchen.  
  
After Pierre entered the house he and his brother held a very quick discussion. Pierre, who spoke no English, seemed pleased at what his brother told him and smiled amicably at Jones and Vadoma.  
  
A half hour later they were on the road.  
  
Indiana Jones and Vadoma Maniskelko slept for most of the four and a half hour trip up through Belgium and into Holland. The fine breakfast they'd eaten at Jacque's farm and the precious hours of sleep seemed to revive both of them and they awoke feeling refreshed as they entered the city of Amsterdam, Holland.  
  
Jones used hand signals and body language to direct Pierre. It had been some years since Jones had visited the city, but his memory was good and he navigated skillfully using landmarks as his guides.  
  
Eventually they arrived at Nijmegen Street, and the residence of one Mr. Jan Van der Moot: scholar, international trader and adventurer. And for those like Indiana Jones who knew better: ......smuggler, pirate, and most important to Jones right now...expert forger.  
  
Jones knocked on the door.  
  
It was getting close to sunset. The first day of 1938 was drawing to a close; for Indiana Jones it had been a day to remember. Four countries in one day, he thought to himself; not too bad, a few more and he might even make it to Egypt. Then all he would have to do is find Richard Malboury somewhere along the five hundred miles of the Nile River valley, and rescue him from a detachment of hardcore Nazi fanatics.  
  
Sure...no problem.  
  
The door suddenly opened, and Indiana Jones found himself staring into the barrel of a German Luger pistol. 


	29. Shopping

29  
Shopping  
  
"Indiana Jones," the man holding the gun lowered it and then smiled, "what brings you to my little corner of the world my old friend? And what have you gone and done to your arm?"  
  
"Hello Jan," Jones extended his hand, "it's been a long time."  
  
Despite his thinning hair Jan Van der Moot still cut a dashing figure. He was handsome, with a pencil thin mustache that lent rakishness to his good looks.  
  
"Yes it has," Jan Van der Moot opened the drawer of a small table, put away the gun, and then shook Indy's hand warmly. Then he looked at Vadoma. There was no mistaking the rascally look as his eyes lustily drank in her beauty and the supple curves of her body like a cat sizing up prey. He smiled charmingly at her and then said to Jones, "My, my, and the company you keep seems to improve every time that I see you Jones. Who is your lovely friend?"  
  
Indy hesitated a moment, gave a sidelong glance at Vadoma, and then answered, "This is my associate ...Maria Roma."  
  
Van der Moot reached down and lifted Vadoma's hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss, "Miss Roma I am truly charmed to meet you."  
  
Vadoma gave a shy smile, then glanced at Indy and her smile turned to one of appreciation; appreciation for having given her gadje name and not her gypsy name. Her gypsy name was something private, and intimate, and not something to share lightly with an outsider. Gypsies as a people often had very little in life, and so their names were a possession that they held both valuable and sacred.  
  
"Please come into my parlor," Van der Moot gestured politely with his hand.  
  
"Said the spider to the fly," Jones mumbled silently under his breath.  
  
While he and Van der Moot called each other 'friend', and Jones had indeed saved the man's life, Jones still would not count him among that short list of people that he could trust. The man's thin veil of respectability covered a seedy criminality that had earned Van der Moot a lot of money, but also a lot of enemies. Anyone who made a habit of answering the door with a handgun had to be trusted with caution. But right now Indy and Vadoma's needs were simple, and Jones believed that Van der Moot could give them exactly what they needed.  
  
They retired to the parlor where Van der Moot offered drinks. Jones and Vadoma both accepted a glass of whiskey on ice. The Dutchman poured one for himself, and then the three of them sat down to talk business.  
"So tell me about your arm," He asked Indy.  
  
"Oh, it's nothing, just a bit of bad luck." Jones answered him.  
  
"Yes, I certainly know how that can go. So, what is it you need my friend?" Van der Moot asked.  
  
Jones sipped his whiskey, "I need to get to Egypt, as quickly as possible."  
  
The man smiled, "I'm sorry, I don't run a travel agency here Jones, but I can put you in contact with some associates of mine who ...."  
  
"No, that won't be necessary," Indy said, "I already know how I'm going to get there. But there's something I...we," he gestured at Vadoma, "need to have first. And I think you can provide it."  
  
"And what would that be?" Van der Moot was intrigued.  
  
"False identity papers." Jones answered.  
  
He studied Indy and Vadoma for a moment, "Why on earth do you need false identity papers?"  
  
"Because we'll be traveling through Germany."  
  
At the mention of Germany Vadoma turned quickly and stared at Jones, "Germany?" She said with no slight amount of surprise in her voice. But there was also emotion, as she thought again of Pesha.  
  
"Why would you of all people want to travel through Germany Jones?" The Dutchman gave out with a hearty little laugh, "You're crazy. Why there's even a rumor that the Fuhrer himself has a personal vendetta against you."  
  
"Precisely why I need false identity papers," Jones said.  
  
Van der Moot studied him for a moment, "But you still haven't answered my question: why Germany?"  
  
Jones glanced back over at Vadoma while he spoke to Van der Moot, "Two reasons: one, time; as I said, we need to get to Egypt as soon as possible. Despite Herr Hitler's shortcomings there's no more efficient or faster rail system in the world than Germany's. The way I see it we can pass through the entire country in half a day, get to Switzerland, then Italy, and then get a ship across the Med bound for Cairo.  
  
"Why don't you just take a ship from here in Amsterdam?" Van der Moot asked.  
  
"Too slow," Jones answered.  
  
"Then why not just travel through France down to Marseille?"  
  
Jones took another sip of his whisky, "That's reason number two," he said, "France is off limits for the time being."  
  
The Dutchman gave him an inquisitive look that begged for more information.  
  
Indiana Jones didn't want to have to go into too much detail about their current predicament, but on the other hand he knew that Jan Van der Moot was the type of man who wouldn't be satisfied with half the story. And so for the next several minutes, and another glass of whisky, he summarized the course of events that had led him and Vadoma to Amsterdam, the urgency of their need to get to Egypt, and the reasons why they could not travel through France.  
  
"I see more clearly now," Van der Moot said when Jones was finished. He stood up and poured himself another drink as he spoke to Jones, "I believe that I can accommodate you and your, lovely traveling companion, Jones," he smiled and winked at Vadoma briefly and then sat back down, "and as you know my work is of the highest quality."  
  
"That's why I'm here," Jones said.  
  
"But as you know I'm a businessman and..."  
  
Jones threw a wad of English pound notes on the table, interrupting Van der Moot in mid-sentence.  
  
"Since I did save your life once Jan, this ought to be enough." Jones stated with finality.  
  
Van der Moot picked up the bills and a cursory glance was all that his keen eye needed. He nodded his head with satisfaction, "Plenty," he said, and then stood up, "Well then, I'll need to take some photographs, and then I'll need to know what names you'll want on the papers."  
  
Indiana Jones handed him a piece of paper on which he had written all of the vital information for a fictitious American couple He'd worked it all out during the trip up from Calais, and had come up with the most convincing information he could think of.  
  
The Dutchman scrutinized the paper for a moment, "Yes, yes, very good. This will do fine. Now please follow me."  
  
Indy and Vadoma followed Van der Moot into a back room of the house. He hunted in the closet for a few minutes for a camera and some other equipment, and then spent several more minutes setting it up. When he was finished he took two portrait photos of each of them.  
  
"Yes, well, it will take some time," he said when finished.  
  
"How long?" Indiana Jones asked.  
  
"At least two or three hours."  
  
"Good," Indy said, and then looked at Vadoma, "gives us a little time to do some shopping. We need to update our winter wardrobe." Then he looked back at Van der Moot, "When's the earliest train out of here for Germany?"  
  
"You know Jones, the trains run all night here in Europe. If I'm not mistaken there's a train that leaves for Dusseldorf at eleven pm tonight."  
  
Jones glanced at his watch for a moment, "We'll be back in a few hours," he said.  
  
"I'll have your papers ready," Van der Moot said.  
  
Jones reached the front door, but then paused for a moment, and turned back around. He examined his cast for a moment and moved the plaster encased arm around a few times. Then he spoke to Vadoma, "Have a seat and wait for me a few minutes."  
  
"Alright," she said.  
  
With that, Jones disappeared back into the room where Jan Van der Moot worked on processing the photographs, and their identity papers. He asked the Dutchman for a hacksaw, a claw hammer, some soap, and a small trash bag, and then disappeared into the bathroom for ten minutes. When he emerged, the cast was gone from his arm with the remnants wrapped neatly in the trash bag.  
  
Van der Moot looked up from his work as Jones came out of the bathroom, "Yes, I was going to suggest that myself, but I didn't know if it was sufficiently healed. You were a marked man with that cast Jones."  
  
"Not anymore," Indy said as he gingerly moved the arm around, testing it.  
  
Whether it was fully healed or not Jones felt he didn't have a choice. As Van der Moot had said, he was rather a marked man with the cast on. He had no pain, and had full range of motion; he'd just have to be careful with it for a little while. He'd always been a fast healer.  
  
Indy and Vadoma departed back out into the late afternoon's waning rays of sunlight. The skies had cleared, and the night promised to be cold. Jones knew that the Alps would be even colder. He hailed a taxi and they headed down town.  
  
Just ten minutes later they arrived at the Leiderstraat district, Amsterdam's main shopping area. The street was lined with all of the most popular of Europe's best department stores.  
  
Like any woman worth her salt Vadoma glowed with an internal excitement and energy that shopping seems to bring out in all of the fairer sex. And so it was that after two hours of escalators, clothing racks, shoe stores, and furriers, Jones was exhausted while Vadoma looked like she had more energy than when they'd started.  
  
"Let's take a break," Jones said to her, and guided her across the street to a small park where a venerable old statue of some heroic Dutchman from days past stood in the middle of a footbridge over one of the ubiquitous canals that interlaced the old city of Amsterdam.  
  
The evening was indeed growing colder, but that didn't matter now. Vadoma was warm and cozy with her knit, winter cap, soft, rabbit fur ear muffs, and her new woolen dress and knee socks that she wore under her fresh off the rack, fox and sable coat.  
  
She looked down at the fashionable and splendidly warm coat, and then back up at Indiana Jones. She smiled, "Thank you Indy, thank you so much."  
  
"Don't thank me, thank Malboury...it's his money."  
  
She studied his face for a moment, "Richard Malboury will be thanking you soon Indy; thanking you for rescuing him. I'm sure he won't worry over some money when it comes to saving his life."  
  
"If we save his life," Jones said quietly.  
  
Indiana Jones hadn't changed his own wardrobe too much. But he had added a warm sweater to go under his leather jacket, as well as a woolen ski band to keep his ears warm under his fedora. Both of them carried new, small, travel suitcases also, that held socks and undergarments as well as some more shirts, pants, and slacks, and a couple more dresses for Vadoma.  
  
The Alps would be cold, but Egypt certainly was not.  
  
A small canal barge slipped noiselessly through the cold water beneath them. Jones turned to Vadoma and reached out for her hand. She reached out as well and the two held hands for a few silent moments and looked into each other's eyes.  
  
Jones put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. He stared into the quiet fire that burned in the beautiful gypsy woman's dark sepia eyes. Vadoma's breath came a little faster as Jones held her close and she stared back into his own ruggedly handsome countenance. There was something about this man, she thought, something different than any other she'd ever known in her life. It was much more than just the fact that this man had saved her life.  
  
Indiana Jones now moved to within inches of her full red lips and held her even tighter. He knew that he wanted her. Though it seemed somewhat sudden he knew that it wasn't. From the very first moment that he'd spoken to her through the bars of the jail cell in Scotland Yard....  
  
He moved his lips close to hers. She moaned softly, her eyes closed and her lips parted. Jones went to kiss her. He was surprised when she turned her head to the side.  
  
"Please Indy, do not kiss me."  
  
Jones was a bit taken aback, "Wow," he said, "Geez, I've been turned down before, but...."  
  
She turned back to him. There was an urgent, hurt look in her eyes, "No Indy, you...you don't understand....I...I can not kiss you; not like that. I can not kiss any man...like that"  
  
Indiana Jones let go of her and scratched behind his ear with a confused look in his eyes, "What?"  
  
She looked down at the ground, "I'm sorry, I ...I want to kiss you Indy, but I can not."  
  
"What are you talking about Vadoma?"  
  
"I'm sorry Indy, it is my ...gift."  
  
Now Indiana Jones was even more confused, "What, do you have some kind of disease or something?"  
  
She immediately reacted, stepping back and flashing fire at him from her beautiful eyes, "Disease?! How dare you Indiana Jones! Of course I don't have a disease! What do you think I am?!" She nearly shouted at him, and a few heads of passersby turned to look.  
  
"I'm sorry Vadoma. Please, calm down. I didn't mean to offend you."  
  
"Humph!" She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from him.  
  
Indy shook his head, "Well what am I to think? You say you can't kiss me because of your...gift."  
  
She turned back towards him. Her hurt expression faded and she looked at him with a bit more sympathy, "I am sorry Indy, I know that I need to explain," she looked down again, "I'm sorry, very sorry," she shook her head and Jones could tell she was about to cry.  
  
He went to her and held her again, "Hey, don't cry on me now," he put his hand up as if to feel the wind, "your tears will freeze out here. Why don't we go and get something hot to drink, then you can tell me all about it."  
  
She sniffed once, and wiped at her eye, cutting off any tears before they had a chance, and then looked up at him. She smiled wanly and nodded her head, and then she hugged him, planting a gentle kiss on the side of his neck.  
  
To say that Indiana Jones was confused would be an understatement.  
  
"Come on, let's get some hot cocoa," he said as they walked back across the street. 


	30. Gypsy's Kiss

30  
Gypsy's Kiss  
  
Indiana Jones and Vadoma Maniskelko sat by the window inside the warm little café sipping cups of hot cocoa and watching busy shoppers pass by outside on the cold sidewalk of the Leiderstraat. Indy was quiet, waiting for Vadoma to speak first, and resume the conversation they'd left off outside about her mysterious ...gift, as she called it. But her words were not forthcoming, instead she just sat and stared out through the window, as if hypnotized by something; something that she alone could see.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Jones finally asked her.  
  
She turned to him and gave a slight smile, "Oh, nothing."  
  
Jones took a sip of his hot chocolate, "Are you sure?" He said.  
  
She was silent for another moment, and then said, "Indy, do you believe that people in this world are..." she seemed to be searching for words, "do you believe that your fate is already decided even at the very hour of your birth?"  
  
"Where did that question come from?" Jones asked.  
  
"Just tell me, do you believe it?"  
  
Indiana Jones paused to ponder the question, "How can such a thing be proved, or disproved?" he said after a moment.  
  
"That's not an answer Indiana Jones," Vadoma now smiled warmly at him.  
  
Indy drank in her warm, beautiful smile. She seemed more beautiful and vibrant than at any time since he'd met her. Maybe it was the new clothes, he thought. Or maybe it was because this was the first time in the past twenty-four hours that the two of them had been able to truly relax.  
  
"The Greeks believed it," Jones said, "that's where the word 'fate' comes from...the 'fates' controlled the future of everyone on earth and in the heavens, both mortal and immortal."  
  
Vadoma stared down at the floor.  
  
Jones could see that the question held a lot more meaning for her than just as a conversational curiosity. But he also felt it was something best left alone for the moment. Besides, he felt an overwhelming curiosity about Vadoma's 'gift' that he could no longer contain.  
  
He looked into her eyes, "Tell me Vadoma. Tell me about your 'gift'."  
  
She looked at him for a moment, and then nodded.  
  
She gazed out the window as she spoke, "It goes back to my 'duy'...my mother, and my father," she said.  
  
Her dark brown eyes took on a searching look, as if going far back into her past and revisiting places from long ago. Indiana Jones studied her lovely features as she stared out the window and began to tell him of things that he knew she usually kept in a secret place within herself.  
  
"My mother was a very loving woman," she continued on, "she was beautiful, but she was even more beautiful inside. Her heart was pure. Everyone who knew my 'duy' could not help but love her."  
  
Vadoma spoke with a quiet passion about her mother. She paused for a moment but Jones remained silent. After a time she spoke again.  
  
"Everyone loved my mother, except...."  
  
This time the pause was longer, and Jones felt compelled to say something, "Everyone except your father?" He said with a lucidity that surprised her.  
  
She turned her gaze from the window and looked into Jones' eyes, "Yes," she said, "my father."  
  
She turned back towards the window, "My father was not a true gypsy Indy. He was from Russia, but he was not truly Russian either. He was from the part of Russia that is far to the east, beyond the Urals."  
  
"Siberia? Mongolia?" Jones guessed, and thought that might explain the Asiatic, almond eyes that added an exquisite final touch of mysterious beauty to Vadoma's already captivating features.  
  
"Perhaps," she said, seeming to not really know the true answer to the question, "I just know that he was from very far away."  
  
Jones gazed out the window. The clear skies of the afternoon were now clouding over as the first day of 1938 progressed into evening in Amsterdam, Holland. A light powdery snow was even beginning to fall.  
  
"My father was very, very handsome," she continued on, "he was so handsome that all of the young girls wanted to be with him. He had a magic, a ...what is the English word....," Vadoma searched for the right word to use, "a...a charisma." She smiled in triumph at having located the word. "It seems that he passed that quality down to you," Indy said, and then was confused by her reaction to what he meant as a compliment.  
  
Vadoma looked down at the floor and closed her eyes for a moment before once again staring out the window, "Yes, my father could have any woman he chose...and so it was that all of my mother's love was not enough for him. Before I was even born he left her....left us."  
  
"I'm sorry," was all Indiana Jones could think of to say.  
  
"My mother was so terribly sad. I was told that for weeks she cried almost every day." Vadoma's eyes began to water, and Jones knew that she was fighting back a tear at the painful thoughts, "There was a very old woman at the time in our kumpania," she looked over at Indy, "our clan."  
  
Indy nodded his understanding of the gypsy word.  
  
"Her name was Anya," Vadoma went on, "She came and stayed with us and helped to take care of my mother ...and after I was born... me as well. After I was born my mother's sadness became overwhelming. In my face she saw the face of my father, and it reminded her of him, whom she had loved so much. But it was not a bitter sadness. My mother did not resent me. If anything she loved me even more because I looked like him. But her sadness was killing her; everyone knew it...and Anya knew it too."  
  
Vadoma paused to sip her hot cocoa, and to gather her thoughts for a moment. Jones was fascinated by her story, though he was anxious to know how Vadoma's 'gift' figured in to it.  
  
"Anya loved me and my mother very much. But Anya was very old, and...she was dying. One night, she came to my mother and told her she would die in twenty-six days."  
  
"Anya or your mother?" Jones was a bit confused.  
  
"Anya would die in twenty-six days, and she knew it." Vadoma answered him.  
  
"How did she know?"  
  
"She knew," Vadoma said with conviction. "She wanted to relieve my mother's sadness about my father leaving us and so she told my mother that she was going to give me, her baby daughter, a special gift. She said that it was not a gift to be given lightly, but that now that she was dying she felt she needed to pass it on. And she thought that it would make my mother happy."  
  
Indiana Jones patiently listened to the gypsy woman tell her story, though he wished she would come to the point about what the 'gift' was. "What did she give to you?" Jones finally asked.  
  
She looked at him, "Never would I, my mother's daughter, ever have to worry about any man leaving me. I would have the power to make any man love me, and only me, for as long as we both lived."  
  
Jones looked curiously at Vadoma. He even suspected that she might be just a little bit delusional, "What on earth are you talking about Vadoma?"  
  
"My kiss," she said simply.  
  
Jones stared at her for a moment, "Your kiss?" He said, indicating that he wanted more of an explanation than just that.  
  
Now Vadoma paused for a long time, glancing alternately at the floor, out the window, and at Indiana Jones. Finally she said, "Any man that I kiss, will love me for as long as we both live."  
  
"But you just kissed me on the neck, out there," he motioned with his finger to the small park across the street.  
  
"I am talking about a kiss of passion," she said.  
  
"I see," Indy said, and looked away for a moment to absorb what she was telling him. He turned back to her, "So you're telling me that if you kiss a man passionately, that he will fall instantly in love with you?"  
  
"A passionate kiss on the lips," she further clarified.  
  
Jones looked at her skeptically, "You know Vadoma, you are a beautiful woman. Did it occur to you that maybe a man would fall in love with you anyway, and that your kiss doesn't really have any kind of ....supernatural powers or anything?"  
  
She shook her head, "I did not think that you would believe me," she said.  
  
"Well I'm sorry but it is kind of hard to believe," Jones countered.  
  
"There's more to it than just the kiss though," Vadoma looked out the window again and continued on with her story, "with the 'gift' came also a curse."  
  
"What curse?"  
  
"Anya, because she would die in twenty-six days, she said that I would have very bad luck in the twenty-sixth year of my life."  
  
Jones' eyes shot a wordless question. "Yes," she nodded, "this is the twenty-sixth year of my life."  
  
Indiana Jones sat back and sipped his hot cocoa slowly and contemplated all that Vadoma had just told him. He was skeptical to say the least. But nonetheless he could see how strongly Vadoma believed in what she was saying. Who was he to doubt; he who had seen more than enough of the strange and paranormal in his own life.  
  
"So why didn't you kiss me out there?" Jones asked her, "You don't want me to love you?"  
  
"It would not be fair to you, or to me."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Don't you see Indiana Jones? I don't want a man to fall in love with me just because of my gift. That is not real love."  
  
"Did you use your 'gift' on Richard Malboury?"  
  
"Yes," she answered without guilt or hesitation, but neither did she say anything more.  
  
Jones was a little bit surprised at how quickly she had answered, "Were you and Malboury lovers?" He asked bluntly.  
  
"Do you need to know that?" Vadoma answered, her low voice conveying both dignity and defensiveness.  
  
"I guess not," Indy said, "I guess that would be none of my business would it." Indiana Jones turned away from her and downed the rest of his hot cocoa. His whole demeanor seemed to change in an instant and his voice took on a sudden businesslike tone.  
  
He glanced at his watch, "Look, we've got to go soon. We've got a train to catch at eleven."  
  
Vadoma studied Indiana Jones for a few seconds, and then the hint of a smile played on her full, red lips, "Indy ...you're not...jealous are you?"  
  
Jones feigned indifference, "Jealous of who? Look, I don't know about any gypsy curses or 'gifts'. But I do know that in about three hours we need to be on a train. Let's go."  
  
They rode the taxi back over to Van der Moot's house in silence. Indiana Jones was deep in thought. Did he believe in Vadoma's gift, and her curse? He didn't know what to believe really. He'd seen how 'curses' tended to work; most of the time it was nothing more than just the strong power of suggestion at work. Take Voodoo curses for example, Jones thought to himself. For the man who believes strongly enough in Voodoo it is enough just to tell him that he is cursed. Throw in a little chicken blood and bird skulls for effect and he is convinced. Then tell him that he will die.... Sometimes the mind can control the body.  
  
There were plenty of men in this world who could easily fall in love with a woman as beautiful as Vadoma, kiss or no kiss. And as for the bad luck in her twenty-sixth year, well, Jones thought she could count herself pretty lucky that he had showed up when he had at Scotland Yard on New Year's Eve.  
  
But as the cab pulled up to a stop in front of Van der Moot's house he let go of all thoughts of gypsy curses for the time being and concentrated his thoughts on the matter at hand. They were about to embark on a dangerous trip through the length and breadth of Adolph Hitler's Germany.  
  
Jones was immensely pleased with the false identity papers that Van der Moot had produced for him and Vadoma. For the trip through Germany, Italy, and anywhere else it was convenient, he and Vadoma would be Mr. and Mrs. John Marshall, American citizens from Chicago.  
  
They stayed another hour at Van der Moot's house, both of them getting a chance to freshen up before the long night trip through Germany that lay ahead. They departed a little after ten and arrived at Amsterdam's main train station on Kalverstraat at ten thirty. By eleven they were on their way towards Germany.  
  
As they traveled through western Holland Jones went over the details of their deception several times with Vadoma. He was an art professor on holiday on his way to the Museum of Modern Art in Vienna. In case anyone inquired about his wife's dark complexion and Asiatic features he would simply say that she was of American Indian ancestry. Once he was comfortable with everything they both finally dozed off for the rest of the two hour trip toward the German Border.  
  
They were awakened by shrill whistles as the train approached, and then pulled into the German border station near the town of Emmerich.  
  
Sleep was quickly dispelled as tension mounted. Indiana Jones glanced out the train window and into the darkness of night. As he looked out he contemplated that not only had the dark of night descended, but a different kind of darkness had also descended on the country of Germany itself. And while the sun would rise in the sky in about five or six more hours, Jones couldn't know how long it might take for the darkness of Nazism that plagued this once, and future great country to lift its evil veil.  
  
A German border guard came on to the train and began checking papers and passports. He appeared gruff and impatient in his manners, snatching the papers from the hands of the passengers and regarding those who were non- Germans with a practiced disdain. Then again Jones thought, maybe it was just the language. German was by nature a harsh and guttural language. Indy momentarily thought of Lupe in Bolivia, and how he liked to hear her speak her jumbled mix of Spanish and English.  
  
Vadoma of course spoke fluent German. But Jones had gone to great lengths to coach her not to reveal the fact. He knew that a sudden reaction, or just a move of the eyes, in response to some spoken German, might jeopardize their deception.  
  
The border guard now approached them, and stopped in front of them. He spent several moments scrutinizing the couple. Indiana Jones became alarmed when the man tilted his head as his curiosity seemed to pique.  
  
"Papers!" He nearly shouted at them.  
  
Jones handed over his and Vadoma's false identity papers, and said a silent little prayer in his head. He knew that if they could just get through the border the rest might just be a piece of cake. But the moment of truth...or in this case deception...was now.  
  
The man glanced at the photos on their identity papers and then at him and Vadoma, "Americans?" He asked.  
  
"Yes," Jones nodded his head and smiled the most magnanimous smile he could muster, "Americans."  
  
"Ya! America! Hollywood! Betty Boop!" The guard said with a smile.  
  
Indiana Jones nodded his head and continued to smile as well, "Betty Boop!" He said.  
  
"Why do you come to Germany Mr. ...Marshall?" The border guard said in nearly flawless English as his smile suddenly vanished.  
  
Jones was caught off guard by the man's command of English, and stumbled over his words momentarily, "We, um, we...I'm an art professor from Chi...University of Chicago. I, I'm on holiday. My wife and I, we're...on our way to Vienna."  
  
The German border guard stood stoic and expressionless as Jones stumbled over his words. Then he carefully scrutinized their papers; even pulling out his flashlight, shining it on to the photos for a closer look.  
  
Jones' heart pounded in his chest and a lump rose in his throat. Vadoma sat seemingly emotionless, but her heart as well beat fast and furious.  
  
"Why do you want to go to Vienna?"  
  
Jones gave a little forced chuckle, "Well, why does anyone want to go to Vienna? For the Museum of Modern Art, of course. I'm...doing research for my University," he said, and then nervously cleared his throat.  
  
"Your wife, she looks like a ....gypsy," the man said the word as if it were something vile.  
  
Jones swallowed hard, and struggled to keep his cool, "No, she's part Indian."  
  
This seemed to catch the guard off balance, and he leaned down to examine Vadoma as if she were some kind of scientific specimen. Vadoma struggled to maintain her composure despite the man's close examination, not to mention his bad breath.  
  
He smiled at her lewdly and held his hand up over the top of his head, "Don't take my scalp," he said.  
  
Jones relaxed a little. The man was obviously an idiot. He just hoped the oaf would hurry up and be done with them. But what the guard said next sent a chill up his spine.  
  
"Museum of Modern Art is it?" The guard said as he directed his gaze back at Indy and narrowed his eyes, "Do you really think you can fool me, Mr. ...Marshall?"  
  
Damnit! Jones silently cursed in his mind, they hadn't even made it past the border! What had given them away?  
  
Indiana Jones reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and felt for his Webley handgun. 


	31. A Walk in the Park

31  
A Walk in the Park  
  
The feel of the cold, nickel plated steel of his Webley gave Jones a measure of comfort, but nonetheless a hidden bead of sweat formed on his forehead beneath the band of his fedora. He was on enemy turf now, and there were more than a few of the border guards on and around the train. If any shooting started there probably wasn't much chance of it turning out in his and Vadoma's favor.  
  
Jones swallowed and then said in his most nonchalant voice, "What do you mean fool you? I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
The guard's eyes narrowed as he spoke, "Oh I think you do Mr..... excuse me, Professor...Marshall."  
  
In the span of a few seconds Jones went over several plans of action in his mind. All of them however seemed doomed to failure, and in fact the best plan he could come up with was to just grab Vadoma's hand and run like hell. He swallowed hard again and began to mentally count down in his mind...5...4...3...  
  
The guard leaned his large frame down closer to the archaeologist, "You don't strike me as the scholarly type Mr. Marshall...and I know who you are and why you are here."  
  
That did it for Indy, and he prepared to put his plan into action.  
  
"You are a skier!" The guard said suddenly, pointing his finger at Jones and smiling broadly, "You can not fool me. Maybe you can fool your boss at the university, but you can't fool me. You are not going to spend your holiday in some dusty old museum. You are going skiing," he grinned, "ha! I knew it!"  
  
"Yeah, you got me!" Like the air rushing out of a balloon, Indiana Jones' anxiety dissipated in an instant. "Yup... going skiing...can't wait to hit those slopes!" he said as he smiled back, "You figured it out alright."  
  
"Ach!" The guard said with friendly disdain, "You Americans," he laughed again, then said, "but you must go to Innsbruck while you are in Austria. The best skiing in all of the Alps...and my brother he runs the best chalet in the whole country; it is called the Oosterhaus," the man then pulled a small card out of his pocket with the map and address of his brother's establishment and handed it to Jones.  
  
"I'll make a point of it," Jones held up the card, smiled and nodded his head.  
  
When the guard, and apparently part-time travel agent, finally moved on Indiana Jones at last released the Webley and pulled his hand back out of his pocket. He closed his eyes for a moment and breathed another long sigh of relief....and then yet another when the train finally began moving again...moving deeper into the German Reich.  
  
Not long after the train started moving again and things had settled down, both Indy and Vadoma fell asleep. They slept through the night, waking only as the train stopped at each of the major cities that it passed through as it headed south on its parallel course with the Rhine river. Brief stops in Essen, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, and a few others were the only interruptions as the train traveled on through the night.  
  
Finally at close to dawn they arrived in Wiesbaden where they had to change trains to a different line that would carry them into southern Germany. This train was faster than the first, and by the time the sun was full up they had already passed Heidelberg and were streaking southward through some of the most beautiful countryside in all of Germany; presently dressed in its winter best.  
  
By the early morning light Indiana Jones studied his rail map of Europe that he'd purchased in Amsterdam. He traced his finger along the route they'd already taken, and then further down the map along the route that he planned to take to get to Switzerland and then Italy.  
  
They would pass down through Stuttgart, and then to the southern German rail center of Ulm. There they would change trains again. Rather than travel east towards Austria, they would instead get another south bound train destined for Friedrichshafen, on the shores of Lake Constance. An eight mile ferry ride across the cold waters of the alpine lake would land them in Switzerland.  
  
Jones looked up from his map and over at Vadoma. She gazed out at the passing countryside. There was no mistaking the pained and worried expression that she wore. Jones knew why, but he felt powerless to help her. He knew that Vadoma was thinking of her sister Pesha. Indy firmly believed that her sister was already dead, but he could not bring himself to say so to Vadoma. But Jones also knew that Vadoma, deep in her own heart, knew the same thing anyway.  
  
But truly what could they do? Outside of storming the Gestapo headquarters where Pesha was being held, and breaking her out, there wasn't much. Indiana Jones had pulled off some unlikely successes in his lifetime, but suicide missions just weren't in his repertoire.  
  
Just then Vadoma turned her gaze from the window and on to Indiana Jones. She gestured out the window at the passing, snowy countryside, "My kumpania, we have traveled through these places many times."  
  
Jones looked out the window, "Where is your kumpania now?"  
  
She looked back out the window and was silent. Indiana Jones knew what she was thinking.  
  
"You want to find them don't you?" He said.  
  
Vadoma continued to gaze out the window for a moment, and then turned to him and nodded, "You may not understand Indiana Jones, but I can feel them; I can feel my kumpania is close by." She smiled wanly as a tear formed in her eye, "You are a gadje, and so you cannot understand that we gypsies can feel such things."  
  
"I believe you, and I think I understand," Jones said.  
  
"I need to see my people Indy. I need to find out about Pesha."  
  
Jones stared out the window for a moment, "You know the danger," he said.  
  
"I must see my people Indy," she said with a quiet determination and finality.  
  
Indiana Jones said nothing. Eventually he sat back and began to study his map again. He knew that there was probably nothing he could say to Vadoma right now. He only hoped that between now and the Swiss border she would think better of the idea. He felt that for her to return to her kumpania in Germany would be suicide; and he needed her to help him find Malboury and clear his name with Scotland Yard. So Jones simply sat back and studied the map in silence. After a time he closed his eyes, and tried to catch a little more sleep before they arrived in Ulm.  
  
Vadoma remained wide awake and continued to stare out the train's window at the increasingly familiar countryside. In her own mind she feared the worst for Pesha. If the Nazis had tried to kill her in England then it was obvious that they had deemed her to be no longer of any value. So why should they continue to hold Pesha, which was the only reason that they'd been able to force Vadoma to work for them in England? And Vadoma knew that they wouldn't release Pesha; she knew that the filthy murderers had either killed her already, or worse, sent her to a concentration camp. She sniffed and suppressed another tear as the train continued to rumble southward.  
  
A couple of hours later the train pulled into the major rail center of Ulm. Indiana Jones and Vadoma Maniskelko stepped off the train, and consulted the posted schedule. It would be nearly two hours before the train for Friedrichshafen would leave.  
  
"Good," Vadoma exclaimed wearily, "I am tired of trains anyway. Let's go for a walk Indy."  
  
Jones was hesitant, "Look Vadoma maybe we should just stay here in the station. The sooner we get out of Germany the better, and I wasn't planning any sightseeing on the way."  
  
"Please come walk with me in the park," she pleaded, "I have been here before. There is a beautiful little park not too far from the station."  
  
Jones thought for a moment, and then decided that he needed a break too. Besides, things had gone smoothly, and it seemed that the only trouble they would have might come at the border, when they crossed over to Switzerland. In the meantime he didn't see any harm in taking a walk in the park; as long as they didn't stray too far from the station.  
  
"Alright," he agreed.  
  
A few minutes later they walked through the small park near the train station. There were few other people around at this hour; just a few pensioners feeding the birds. The weather was cold but there was no snow on the ground here as they walked along the well groomed paths between the strategically planted trees. Everything in Germany, Jones thought, seemed to be regimented and orderly, even the trees.  
  
They walked in silence for a little while. Eventually though, the beauty and quiet serenity of the little park caused Jones to wax philosophically, "How can such a beautiful country be taken over by such an evil?" He stated the rhetorical and unanswerable question.  
  
"You know Indy, the gypsies have a saying: Jekh dilo kerel but dile hai but dile keren dilimata."  
  
"And what does that mean?"  
  
"It means: One madman makes many madmen, and many madmen make madness."  
  
Jones thought about what she said, "I guess that sums it up as well as anything, doesn't it."  
  
Vadoma stopped suddenly. Then Jones observed as she walked over to a public trash bin. There was an intense expression on her face as she approached, and then actually thrust her hand down into the rubbish inside.  
  
"Vadoma? What are you doing?" Jones was mystified as he watched her reach her hand into the trash bin and retrieve a small object.  
  
She held it up and smiled excitedly, "Look! A patrin!"  
  
"A what?"  
  
"A patrin...a leaf," She said.  
  
"That's not a leaf, it looks like a bundle of sticks tied with a rag," Jones said.  
  
"We gypsies call this a patrin. It is a sign, for other gypsies; it marks the way that a kumpania has traveled," she seemed very excited as she looked at the patrin, "this cloth, it is....my kumpania Indy."  
  
"What is it doing in the trash?" Jones asked, "Do they always put them in the trash."  
  
"Of course not!" Vadoma said, "Usually they are placed at cross roads, or some other important place. This one must have been picked up nearby and placed in the trash by someone."  
  
"Some German cleaning up," Jones said, and then couldn't help thinking of the irony of the 'patrin' as a metaphor for the whole of the gypsy people in Nazi Germany.  
  
"But now I am sure of it Indy. I am sure that my kumpania are near." Then she looked thoughtful for a moment, "And I think I know where."  
  
"Listen Vadoma, you know we need to get through Germany as quickly as possible, and we've got to get to Egypt, find Richard Malboury and...."  
  
"And I've got to know what has become of my sister, Indiana Jones!" Vadoma nearly shouted at him.  
  
Jones turned away. Once again with Vadoma he found himself at a loss for words. And so he simply looked down at his watch, "Come on, let's get back to the station before we miss our train."  
  
As expected, the train left exactly on time, to the minute, and they were once again on their way south. It was only about sixty or so miles from Ulm to Friedrichshafen, but this train was not quite as fast as the last one, and Jones estimated that it would be at least ninety minutes before they would reach that far southern German town on the shores of Lake Constance.  
  
Vadoma seemed more tense and agitated than at any time since they'd left England. As Indy sat back and gazed out the window at the passing countryside he was beginning to wonder if her feelings for her sister and her kumpania would outweigh her sensibility; and for the first time since they'd gotten away from the Scotland Yard policemen Jones wondered if she might bolt on him.  
  
Behind them, in the train station at Ulm, a middle aged German man with a good memory, an eye for detail, and connections to the Gestapo, watched as the train grew smaller in the distance, and then went to a telephone and placed a call. 


	32. Pesha

32  
Pesha  
  
A little over an hour after leaving Ulm the train pulled into the charming little southern German city of Ravensburg, a mere ten miles or so north of Friedrichshafen, and the shores of Lake Constance. Indiana Jones relaxed in his seat and waited for the train to start moving again after this next to last stop on their journey through the Reich. It hadn't been so bad after all, he thought to himself. Except for that oaf at the German-Dutch border it had gone smoothly. Jones was prepared for the possibility of trouble at the Swiss border, but had a feeling things would go smoothly there too.  
  
In a brief moment all of his relaxed confidence disappeared.  
  
Vadoma suddenly stood up and turned to him with a determined look on her face, "I am getting off here Indy. My kumpania, they are here. You can come with me or not, but I am going to see my people and find out what has happened to Pesha."  
  
The sudden declaration left Jones stunned and speechless for a long moment; apparently too long for Vadoma who abruptly turned and walked towards the door of the train car.  
  
Indy stood up, "Wait! Vadoma wait!"  
  
Heads turned as Jones shouted. They watched curiously as the beautiful gypsy woman walked off the train and the man with the leather jacket and fedora ran shouting after her.  
  
"Vadoma!" Jones caught up with her and grabbed her arm, "you can't do this!"  
  
"I must do this!" she answered back forcefully.  
  
Now they were beginning to attract a small group of onlookers. The couple standing on the train platform shouting at each other in English began to draw attention.  
  
Jones looked around for a moment, then spoke more quietly, but no less sternly, "Come on, get back on the train."  
  
Vadoma yanked her arm free from Jones' grasp, "I will not get back on the train Indiana Jones. I thought you...I thought you understood."  
  
"Look, the only thing I understand is that we've been damn lucky to make it this far without any trouble."  
  
His eyes looked around at the curious gazes of the small group of people gathered around them and whispering to each other on the platform. "I must do what I must do Indiana Jones. As I said, you can come with me or not..."  
  
"I need you Vadoma! And you know it!"  
  
She looked deeply into his eyes, "You need me? You need me to save your own skin Indiana Jones! You need..."  
  
"It seems to me I saved your skin sister!"  
  
Just as the words left his mouth Jones realized what he had said, and remembered Vadoma's sensitivity to the word. She looked down and then away.  
  
"I'm sorry," Jones said softly.  
  
But she didn't hear it. His words were blotted out by the shrill sound of a train whistle. Jones spun around just in time to see the doors close and the train begin to move.  
  
"Damnit!" He exclaimed in frustration. Then he turned back to Vadoma, "Well, I guess you win," he said resignedly, and then looked around again at the small crowd of people who still gawked at them, "come on, let's get out of here before we attract any more attention."  
  
This time though it was Vadoma's turn to take the lead. She reached out and took Indiana Jones' hand in hers and pulled him along towards the station's exit, and the street beyond.  
  
Ravensburg was a quaint old town of red-roofed Bavarian style houses, wooden churches, cuckoo clocks, and small farms with neatly cut fields. Outside of town in the countryside were rolling meadows interspersed with thick stands of forest. It was through this idyllic scenery that Indy and Vadoma traveled twenty minutes after leaving the train station.  
  
They were in a hired car with a driver. Indy had given up on the idea of Vadoma hiding her knowledge of German. It was no longer practical with the new scenario they found themselves in. She was quickly able to find a car and driver to take them out into the countryside in search of her kumpania of gypsies that she felt sure were nearby.  
  
Indiana Jones remained skeptical, "Where in all of this countryside," he gestured out the window, "are you going to find one small group of people? We don't even have a map."  
  
Vadoma gazed intensely out of the window of the car, "I don't need a map," she scoffed, "I have been through this country so many times. Besides, I am a gypsy, I can read the trees and the rivers and the streams," she looked over at him, "you gadje, you will never understand."  
  
"Oh I understand," Jones said, feeling a little wounded by her rebuff, and thinking of his own rather prodigious capabilities of which he was justly proud....hieroglyphs, ancient languages, booby-traps, temples and tombs... "I can read things too. Maybe not trees, rivers and...."  
  
"Stop the car!" Vadoma shouted at the driver in German.  
  
Indiana Jones looked out the window and saw nothing but scenery.  
  
"This is it Indy," she said.  
  
"I don't see anything," he said with no little incredulity.  
  
"Trust me," Vadoma said with conviction.  
  
They got out. She paid the driver, who turned the car around and headed back towards town; leaving the two of them standing, for all Jones could see, in the middle of nowhere.  
  
"Follow me," she said.  
  
Indiana Jones could hear the excitement in her voice, but it was an excitement tinged with a layer of fatalism.  
  
They crossed over a large meadow and into a group of trees that rapidly turned into a thick forest. The trees were dense here; they swallowed them up and nearly blotted out the sun. It was dark and foreboding to say the least, and it took nearly fifteen minutes to pass through to the other side. But as they broke through to a little meadow there was also a small dirt track. This led through another thick stand of trees, but the going here was far easier due to the track. Five minutes later they came out upon a large meadow beside a river, and next to the river was a gypsy encampment.  
  
Indiana Jones was duly impressed by the woman's ability to navigate through this wilderness and find her people. There was indeed something almost supernatural about it, but that didn't matter for now. They were here, and now they had to find out about Pesha, and that's all that mattered.  
  
The encampment consisted of about a dozen wagons; traditional, squared off, dome-topped caravans with narrow glass windows, set in painted wood frames. The horses, most used for pulling the wagons, but a few for riding, stood grazing peacefully in the meadow or drinking from the river. Children, chickens, clothes hanging up to dry, women tending cooking stoves, and men standing around smoking completed the picture of the gypsy camp. Vadoma could barely contain herself and ran across the open meadow shouting in the Rom language words that Jones could not understand. She was greeted warmly by all with many hugs exchanged. As Indiana Jones slowly approached though, a sudden cold wall of indifference and silence greeted him.  
  
Vadoma turned to him with an apologetic look, "I am sorry Indy. They don't mean to be unfriendly, but you are a..."  
  
Jones nodded his head knowingly, "Yes I know, I'm a ....gadje."  
  
"Indy...can you please wait here, I must go and speak with Elena. She is my ala...my aunt. She has news of Pesha."  
  
"Sure," Jones said, "I'll just go down by the river and ...talk to the horses. Don't worry about me," he said and walked down to the bank of the small river.  
  
Vadoma disappeared into one of the caravan wagons.  
  
'News of Pesha'; Jones wondered what that might be, as he picked up a small pebble and tossed it into the water. He suspected that it couldn't be anything good. She obviously wasn't here, so at best she was still being held by the Gestapo, at worst......  
  
The scream of a woman suddenly rent the peaceful stillness of the meadow and the carefree bustling of the gypsy camp. The children stopped playing, the women stopped their chores, and the men all turned their heads abruptly in the direction of the caravan wagon into which Vadoma had gone to speak with her aunt.  
  
It was Vadoma who had screamed. The scream tailed off into a grief stricken, mournful wail that continued for a long time. Jones ran back towards the stand of wagons, toward the one with Vadoma, but was stopped by several of the men. They roughly held him back. But though they were rough with him, Jones could read in their eyes that they knew to expect this. Jones knew that he should have expected it too.  
  
Pesha was dead.  
  
Indy pulled himself free of them, turned back around and walked back over to the riverbank. At least it was over, he thought. At least there would be no more uncertainty. What had been dreaded was now fact, and at least now Vadoma could move on.  
  
It was nearly an hour before she finally emerged. Jones saw her and walked back over towards the wagons. This time the men did not stop him, and he went to her.  
  
"Pesha is dead," she said, the grief weighing down her voice; her eyes red from crying.  
  
"I know," was all that Indy could think to say back to her.  
  
"The murderers...they made...they...made Elena pay for the coffin....the filthy beasts," Vadoma could barely speak through her sadness.  
  
Jones wanted to reach out and hold her but felt that maybe he shouldn't do so here, and now.  
  
A buzzing sound interrupted their thoughts, and caught the attention of all in the camp. Curious eyes searched around at the surrounding trees and over towards the river as the sound grew louder by degrees. Eventually it could be determined that the sound was from some kind of motorized vehicles. Not long after that the vehicles themselves appeared, bursting out along the tree line on the track.  
  
Two grey painted German armored vehicles, emblazoned with the German cross and the double lightning bolts of the SS came out of the woods and crashed noisily across the meadow. They were followed by a small truck with about a couple of dozen soldiers riding in the back.  
  
The vehicles came on fast, directly for the gypsy encampment. The lead armored car didn't even stop until it had crashed into one of the caravan wagons, knocking it over amid much destruction. The gypsies scattered everywhere. Jones pulled Vadoma close to him as he searched around for a place for them to run to. But the Nazis were fast and efficient. In just a few moments they had cordoned off the encampment with SS soldiers and now they brutally herded the gypsies together in front of the wagons.  
  
"Schnell!" An SS soldier shouted at a child, and then kicked him hard to the ground. The little boy struggled in terror to get up, and ran over to where his parents stood with the rest of the kumpania.  
  
An old woman crawled out of the wreckage of the overturned caravan. She was injured and bleeding. One of the SS men came up behind her and mercilessly kicked her in the backside as she tried to get up.  
  
Other men, women, and children were brutally kicked, beaten, and struck with rifle butts as these masters of brutality rapidly herded the clan together in efficient SS fashion.  
  
Indiana Jones and Vadoma found themselves in the center and towards the rear of the cowering mass of people and had no chance to run. Jones felt down into his pocket and grabbed hold of his Webley. He resisted the urge to just draw the weapon and begin firing on the brutal killers. He knew that to do so would probably be suicide, and might cause the deaths of many of the innocent people around him, and so he reluctantly waited to see what would happen; and for the right opportunity.  
  
When his men had finished herding the gypsies together the SS Hauptsturmfuhrer in command stepped down from the second armored vehicle, calmly lit a cigarette, and then walked slowly and arrogantly over to where the terrified people were huddled together at gunpoint. With the cold, practiced eyes of a remorseless killer the man scanned over the mass of people. Then with an exaggeratedly elegant gesture he pointed out one of the gypsy men.  
  
The man was grabbed roughly and pulled out by the soldiers. They kicked him and struck with their rifle butts until the man was brought to his knees. Then as calmly as if he were practice-firing his weapon the Hauptsturmfuhrer pulled out his Lugar pistol and put a bullet into the base of the man's skull. A brief splatter of blood shot out from the unfortunate man's mouth as he fell forward, dead.  
  
Screams of shock and terror were quickly subdued by kicks, and blows from rifle butts as the SS soldiers brutally quieted the terrified people. Then the Hauptsturmfuhrer began to speak in German.  
  
Vadoma translated for Jones in a hushed, quivering whisper, "He says that this man was a criminal.............he says that there are other criminals and foreign spies among us.........he says..."  
  
Jones interrupted her, "I think I get the picture, and I don't think I want to hear any more of his speech," he grabbed hold of Vadoma's hand tightly, "I think it's time for us to leave." 


	33. Soldiers of Destruction

33  
Soldiers of Destruction  
  
Indiana Jones grabbed Vadoma Maniskelko's hand and pulled her down to the ground along with him.  
  
"Roll!" He whispered forcefully.  
  
The pair rolled under the gypsy wagon that was immediately behind them. It was a calculated risk, but the daring move went unnoticed as the SS continued to brutalize the gypsies and herd them into a tighter group in front of the wagons.  
  
Jones rapidly scanned his eyes around from the narrow space between the ground and the bottom of the wagon where they lay. They were only a couple of meters from the riverbank.  
  
"Crawl with me!" He whispered to Vadoma, and then began moving his body along the ground in the direction of the river. He said a silent prayer that the wagon would block the view of the SS men.  
  
Their luck held, and a few moments later they both tumbled over the side of the muddy riverbank unseen. Good thing it wasn't spring, Jones thought, or the water would be higher, but as it was still winter the level was low and there was a small strip of mud upon which they could crawl along the bank. The bank itself was almost a meter in height, blocking the view of the Nazis.....hopefully.  
  
Like two snakes the pair began slithering through the icy cold mud with Jones leading, struggling to make their way along towards where the clearing ended and the woods began. It was about thirty meters to the tree line and they hugged the wall of the riverbank as tightly as possible to keep from being seen.  
  
The maneuver was working for about half the distance they needed, but it was with a sinking feeling that Jones heard the distinct report of a German Mauser rifle, and saw a clod of earth spray up into the air just a couple of feet in front of his face. This was followed by excited shouts in German that were directed their way.  
  
Indiana Jones didn't need any translation, "Run!" He called back to Vadoma and grabbed her hand. He stood up quickly and pulled the girl to her feet. They took off running up the river bank; running for their lives.  
  
Two more Mausers barked. A fountain of water sprayed up from the river to his right, and another clod of earth spattered Jones with mud on the left. He took a quick look back to see the two pursuing, steel helmeted SS soldiers resetting the bolt actions on their rifles for another shot.  
  
"Faster!" Jones pulled Vadoma along.  
For a brief moment Indy's feet became entangled in a series of tree roots that obstructed their path. He stumbled, but maintained his balance. Vadoma was not so lucky though as she tripped badly and fell headlong into the mud. The speed with which they were running and the suddenness of the fall rudely separated Jones grasp from her hand, and he found himself running forward alone.  
  
With the tree line just three or four meters ahead, Jones slowed and turned. He turned in time to see one of the soldiers reaching down, grabbing Vadoma and dragging her up from the river bank by her hair. He also saw the other soldier drawing a bead on him with his rifle.  
  
Split second decisions seemed to be the order of the day.  
  
Indiana Jones pulled his Webley and dropped to the ground. An 8 millimeter Mauser round whizzed through the air above his head and embedded itself in a tree behind him. Jones took aim from his prone position and fired back two rounds. One of them caught the Nazi in the chest and dropped him.  
  
The sight of their comrade lying bleeding on the ground shocked the SS troopers who hadn't suspected that the gypsy with the fedora and leather jacket had been armed. But being the experienced dealers in death that they were, they quickly recovered and now two more soldiers detached themselves from their positions and converged towards Indiana Jones from different directions. Jones saw the maneuver and knew that he was outgunned. He needed to move, and fast.  
  
He watched as the other soldier dragged Vadoma back over to the rest of the gypsies, kicked her, and then roughly threw her to the ground.  
  
"Damnit!" Indiana Jones exclaimed in helpless frustration.  
  
Jones got up and ran a quick zigzag pattern for the woods, evading two more 8 millimeter rounds that tore through the air on either side of him. Once in the woods he didn't stop or slow down. He knew that his only chance would be to put some distance between him and his pursuers as quickly as possible. Branches and bushes scratched and tore at his face and hands as he hurtled through the thick woods and accompanying underbrush. He put his head down and kept charging forward, ignoring the pain of the small cuts and lacerations.  
  
Shouts in German could be heard behind him in the distance, but they soon grew fainter. Apparently the two SS soldiers who pursued him were going to take the methodical approach rather than plunge headlong after him. The pause was just what Jones needed. He would set a trap for his pursuers.  
  
Among the densely packed trees he selected a particularly stout alpine oak. He quickly scurried up the thick trunk and on to one of the larger, overhanging branches. There he lay down, panting from the exertion, and waited. The branch was thick, nearly as thick as his body, so it almost obscured him from below. But even though some portions of his body could be seen, the dark brown of his leather jacket, and khaki pants blended in well enough to keep him close to invisible from below. He on the other hand enjoyed an unobstructed view of the ground underneath him.  
  
Jones lay there and waited for the approaching Nazi soldiers; not entirely sure of what he was going to do, but at least it gave him a chance to think. In his mind he went over the situation.  
  
To just keep running through the woods he decided would do him no good. Sure he might be able to make it to Lake Constance, but more probably not. It was at least ten miles, he was unsure of the terrain, and he was now a hunted man. The Nazis were considerably more ruthless in their methods than Scotland Yard or a handful of French Gendarmes.  
  
And besides, he didn't want to leave Vadoma behind.  
  
The situation wasn't good any way you sliced it, but rather than just be hunted down like a dog Indiana Jones wanted to at least try to save Vadoma. And, he thought with bold clarity, he could get to the lake a lot faster with one of those Nazi armored vehicles. The odds were long, but he felt he didn't really have a choice now.  
  
The snap of twigs beneath heavy jack boots alerted him to the approach of one of the SS soldiers. A moment later the field grey uniformed trooper came into view. There was no sign of the other, so they must have split up, Jones thought. The man had slung his Mauser rifle over his back; too unwieldy in the densely packed trees and thick underbrush. Instead, the soldier gripped his Luger pistol tightly in his hand as he stalked his prey.  
  
It was apparent that Jones had left a trail because the Nazi soldier followed the exact path that the archaeologist had. Jones hoped that he hadn't left any tell tale signs of climbing on the trunk; he didn't relish the idea of being shot out of the tree like some kind of cornered animal.  
  
Indy gripped tightly to his Webley and waited for the man below him to cross under his branch. He resisted the temptation to just shoot him right then and there; not wanting to alert the other Nazi soldier. Jones planned to take him out quietly instead.  
  
A few more steps and the man was close to where Jones wanted him. But he wasn't coming any closer. Jones watched as the man stopped, and then studied the trunk of the tree. A moment later the Nazi turned his head to look up.  
  
Indiana Jones had to act right away. Though the soldier was a bit further away than he had wanted him, Jones leaped from the tree and made a direct landing atop the startled man. He knocked him to the ground with enough force to launch the helmet off of his head. Jones didn't give him a chance to react. He needed to put him out before he could shout for help. The archaeologist immediately swung his Webley handgun down hard into the side of the man's now exposed head. Nickel plated steel met bone with a force that Indiana Jones was sure caused at least a major skull fracture.....at best the man was dead. But this was life and death. The Nazi hadn't been able to give the alarm and that's all that counted to Jones right now.  
  
The archaeologist picked up the SS trooper's Luger pistol and thrust it into his pocket. Then, staying low to the ground, he prepared to set off back towards the clearing and the gypsy camp.  
  
He didn't get far though before the other SS soldier came into view. Lucky for Jones, he saw the Nazi first. This man had also slung his Mauser in favor of the Luger.  
  
"Hans?" he called out quietly to his comrade.  
  
Hidden from view, Hans' body lay near to the trunk of the large oak tree that Jones now squatted behind.  
  
"Hans?" The Nazi drew closer.  
  
Indiana Jones reached over and silently picked up Hans' steel helmet and put away his own Webley. He waited until the second Nazi soldier approached close to the opposite side of the tree trunk and then crept silently around behind him.  
  
"Hans!" Nazi number two shouted as he finally stumbled upon his comrade lying on the ground, blood oozing from his ears and the side of his head.  
  
But those were Nazi number two's last words before his own world exploded.  
  
Indiana Jones came up from behind and swung Hans' heavy steel helmet with all the force he could bring.  
  
CLANG!!  
  
The force of the helmet on helmet blow brought the man to his knees.  
  
BONG!!  
  
The second blow put out his lights for good.  
  
The man fell forward on his face. Jones grabbed his Luger pistol and shoved it into his pocket along with Hans' weapon; the more firepower the better, though he left the more cumbersome Mausers behind.  
  
Now Indiana Jones hurried back through the forest toward the gypsy camp. He was cautious, not knowing whether they had sent any more than these two after him, but he ran into no other SS troops. In a few minutes he stood at the edge of the clearing, concealed behind the trunk of a conifer. The sight that greeted him was one of abject terror.  
  
There in the middle of the clearing the Nazis had lined up at least a dozen gypsies; they were on their knees and their hands were bound behind their backs. Cowering in a huddled, crying, miserable group was the rest of the kumpania.  
  
While Jones couldn't understand the German being spoken he could clearly understand the wailing cries for mercy and pleas for the lives of loved ones that were about to be slaughtered by the merciless SS men who stood dispassionately by with their weapons leveled.  
  
Jones' heart skipped a beat as he saw Vadoma among the group about to be executed. She held her head down dejectedly; her beautiful dark hair trailed down almost to the ground. Even from the distance he was at Indy could see the reflection of the tears that ran down her face.  
  
Choices.  
  
Indiana Jones could slink back into the woods and try to make his way to Lake Constance, and then across to Switzerland...he might just make it. Or, he could do something right now about the horror he was seeing in front of his eyes.  
  
But that decision was easy.  
  
The hard part was figuring out the 'something'.  
  
He heard the Hauptsturmfuhrer bark out some orders and watched as the Nazi executioners jacked the bolt actions on their rifles. If Jones was going to do something he'd better hurry the hell up.  
  
The SS men raised their rifles. One executioner stood behind each victim.  
  
The Hauptsturmfuhrer shouted again.  
  
Vadoma prepared to die.  
  
Indiana Jones knew he was too late to save the beautiful gypsy woman. 


	34. Moorshni

34  
'Moorshni'  
  
Indiana Jones saw the mare grazing carefree at the edge of the clearing; oblivious and innocent to the evil, murderous deeds of human cruelty occurring around her.  
  
By her build, and the sleekness of her well groomed, chestnut colored hair and mane, Jones guessed that she was not one of the horses used to pull the wagons, but rather one of the more pampered and valued riding horses.  
  
He just hoped that she was fast.  
  
He'd made his decision about the 'something' that he was going to do.  
  
The archaeologist broke from the edge of the woods and made a life or death dash across the twenty meters of open ground that separated him from the horse. He was counting on the element of surprise to garner him a few crucial seconds of time; seconds that might just make all the difference.  
  
But that was only half of it. He also hoped that his sudden appearance would create enough distraction to stop the executions, even if only for a moment; a moment that might just make the ultimate difference, that between life and death, for Vadoma.  
  
He hoped he hadn't lost his knack for dodging bullets either.  
  
Jones ran as fast as his legs could carry him, and yet it all seemed almost surreal to him; seconds felt like hours, moments became eternities, and time seemed to stand still.  
  
It surprised him that he reached the horse before hearing any rifle reports. But could he hear them anyway? Even sound itself seemed to be frozen in some kind of vacuous void as the archaeologist made his desperate gambit to save the gypsy woman and escape from the evil that had been visited upon this otherwise peaceful alpine meadow.  
  
Jones leaped up on to the back of the animal. She was momentarily startled, and reared up. Indiana Jones gripped tightly to her muscular neck and stroked her ear for a quick second to calm her.  
  
As animals often do, this one seemed to have a sixth sense. It was as if in an instant she recognized her rider, and his purpose. What Jones couldn't know was that her name was Moorshni, which in the Rom language meant "Heroine".  
  
Indiana Jones dug his heels hard into Moorshni's flanks while at the same time he gently pulled on her neck, aiming her nose directly at the line of Nazi executioners. She took off like the wind. Jones then pulled the two Luger pistols from his pockets and opened fire with both barrels as he galloped atop the snorting, charging mare directly at his enemies.  
  
Indeed the surprise and utter audacity of the move had benefited Jones, and only now did his adversaries recover and begin to return fire. It was too late for three of the SS soldiers who were quickly felled by the bullets of their former comrades' weapons now turned against them by the mounted archaeologist. Jones fired continuously, spitting fire and death from the twin barrels of the Lugers at a full gallop. The Nazis returned fire, and a volley of 8 millimeter Mauser bullets cut the air all around Indiana Jones, but the fact that he was a moving target confounded their aim.  
  
Vadoma stood up, "Indy!" she screamed with joy.  
  
A soldier standing in front of the gypsy woman drew a bead on the charging archaeologist. Though Vadoma's hands were bound, her feet were not and she delivered a swift kick to the backside of the soldier, throwing off the otherwise fatal trajectory of his bullet which whistled past Indiana Jones' ear.  
  
The soldier turned on Vadoma with rage in his fanatical, Nazi eyes. He chambered another round, shoved the barrel of the weapon into her chest, and prepared to squeeze the trigger. But before he could do so a Luger pistol round entered his skull behind the left ear and lodged itself in the center of his brain stem causing him to change his mind suddenly.  
  
A moment after that Indiana Jones threw both of his spent weapons to the ground and reached his arm out. At a full gallop he clutched tightly to Moorshni's neck with his right hand and swept Vadoma off of her feet with his left, grabbing her by her shoulders, lifting her up and throwing her onto the horse's back just behind him. Vadoma grasped on to Jones' leather jacket and held on for her life.  
  
Jones rode the horse right through the group of Nazi soldiers knocking several of them to the ground while the gypsies seized upon the opportunity to scatter in all directions, seeking the sanctuary of the thick forest all around.  
  
The SS troops held their fire momentarily for fear of hitting each other while Jones galloped through them. But once through, the remaining soldiers who were still on their feet raised up their weapons again to fire. Jones urged Moorshni into as best a zigzag pattern as he could. Once again 8 millimeter Mauser rounds cut through the air around the archaeologist but did not find their mark.  
  
Behind him the Hauptsturmfuhrer raged; screaming, ranting, and urging his men to kill the mounted rider who had rudely crashed his little Nazi party. But the Hauptsturmfuhrer had made a major military blunder. He had been so intent on murdering innocent people that he had forgotten to leave a guard on his vehicles.  
  
Indiana Jones pulled Moorshni to a stop in front of one of the two armored cars and jumped off, pulling Vadoma down off the animal's back as well.  
  
"Get in and look for the starter!" He shouted loudly as he finished untying her knots.  
  
A bullet struck the steel side panel of the vehicle and ricocheted, "Hurry!" Jones urged her as he saw a line of soldiers charging towards them.  
  
He himself jumped up on to the back of the vehicle and grabbed the twin machine gun mount. The archaeologist swiveled the weapon around even as bullets clanged off the armor plating in front of the gun turret. He jacked the slide back, took aim at the charging Nazi soldiers and squeezed the dual trigger mechanism.  
  
Death spat forth from the twin barrels of the Nazi weapon and in just a few seconds cut down three of the advancing SS men. The others quickly dove down onto the ground or ran for cover.  
  
Jones ceased firing as he heard Vadoma start the engine, and then jumped down into the driver's seat. She eased over to let him take the controls. With a gnashing of gears he got the armored fighting vehicle moving forward.  
  
"You know the terrain here, which way is the lake?!" Jones shouted over the roar of the armored car's powerful Mercedes Benz engine.  
  
Vadoma searched her eyes around for a moment, and then pointed down one of the dirt tracks that led into the woods. Indiana Jones moved through the rest of the gears until he had the machine racing along the road at a speed that was probably far too fast for the winding, undulating forest track.  
  
Behind them the SS soldiers had regrouped. They were stunned at the losses inflicted on them by just one man, and they were seething with vengeance. The Hauptsturmfuhrer jumped into the other of the armored cars accompanied by his driver and the gunner, and sped off after Indiana Jones and the gypsy girl. The rest of the soldiers piled into the back of the truck which followed closely behind.  
  
Ominously for Jones and Vadoma, the Hauptsturmfuhrer picked up his armored vehicle's radio transmitter hand set and spoke in rapid German; the call went out for reinforcements.  
  
Up ahead of them Jones drove wildly through the forest. His foot pounded on the accelerator pedal, squeezing every ounce of speed he could out of the well built, sturdy little machine.  
  
After a series of downhill twists and turns the road widened slightly and opened on to a long, straight stretch. This enabled Jones to get even more speed out of the vehicle. He estimated that they were probably only seven or eight miles from the lake, and if the road conditions continued as they were it would only be about ten more minutes until they reached it; though what they were going to do after that he hadn't yet figured out.  
  
He threw a cautious look back to see how closely his pursuers followed, and was alarmed to see that despite his head start they had gained significant ground on him. Why their vehicle was faster than his Jones didn't know, but he suddenly found himself hoping for more twists and turns in the road ahead.  
  
A moment later he heard the distant crackling fire of the other armored car's machine guns. They were too far out of range, but Jones knew that it wouldn't be too long before they would find it.  
  
A bullet clanged into the back of their car confirming it.  
  
A few miles away at the Luftwaffe base near Immenstadt, the pilot of a Messerschmitt Me-109 fighter plane checked his gun ammunition racks, making sure they were fully loaded. He then climbed up into the cockpit, turned over the aircraft's powerful engine, and taxied down the runway in preparation for take-off.  
  
His orders were simple. Stop the two enemies of the State who now tried to flee towards Lake Constance in a stolen SS armored car.  
  
This one should be easy, he thought, as he hurtled down the runway and lifted the bird up into the sky. 


	35. Freezing Death

35  
Freezing Death  
  
As they drove along the forest track in their hijacked German armored car Jones turned to Vadoma, "Take over!" He shouted, and motioned to the controls for the vehicle.  
  
Vadoma seemed unsure of herself, but nonetheless slipped over into the driver's side, pushed her foot down on the accelerator, and took over the wheel as Jones crawled back up to the gun emplacement. He swung the weapon around so that it was aiming straight back and opened fire at the Nazis behind them.  
  
Simple physics dictated that Indiana Jones in the lead vehicle would have more success in a running gun battle than would his pursuer; and this was indeed the case. Jones opened up with a sustained volley. The twin barrels once more spat fire. Jones swung the weapon back and forth in a small arc knowing that at the range he was firing, accuracy would be a matter of luck anyway.  
  
Enough of his bullets spattered off the front of the SS vehicle to disrupt the driver. The Nazi swerved first to one side, and then to the other, and then finally off of the road entirely. The armored car bounced and bucked through some rough terrain before bounding back up on to the road again. It wasn't much, but it bought a little more time for the pair of fugitives.  
  
Once again though, the staccato crackling of their pursuers' machine gun rent the air. After a few more moments they began to find the range and bullets spattered off of the steel armored skirt of Jones' vehicle. Again the archaeologist returned fire. His gun barrels spit fire for a brief moment, but then went silent.  
  
He was out of ammunition.  
  
"Shit!" Jones cursed and searched around in the gun emplacement for more bullets.  
  
His eyes fell on a large wooden box with a padlock on it. Indiana Jones reached into his pocket and pulled out his Webley handgun. He fired point blank at the lock and a moment later was pulling out a new belt of ammo to load into the armored car's machine gun. Also inside the ammunition box were three submachine guns and a handful of 'potato masher' stick grenades.  
  
Indy fumbled with the belt of bullets and struggled to figure out how to load the weapon while Vadoma kept the armored car moving at its highest rate of speed down the straight, flat roadway with steely determination.  
  
But the pursuing vehicle was now gaining considerably on them. It let loose with a torrent of machine gun bullets. They were now close enough so that the Nazi gunner could 'walk' his bullets up the road until they found their true mark. This he did, and small fountains of earth began to explode up the road, creeping inexorably closer to Jones and Vadoma's armored vehicle.  
  
Indiana Jones saw it coming. He threw down the belt of ammunition and leaped back over into the front of the car. Jones wrenched the wheel from Vadoma and jerked it to the right. The evasive maneuver was a split second ahead of the stream of bullets, which stitched their way past them to the left. Then Indy repeated the maneuver again to the left and watched the ground to their right burst forth with small clods of dusty road soil.  
  
He zigzagged again but the Nazi had ceased firing. Maybe he was reloading too, Jones thought, and jumped back up to the gun. He picked up the belt of ammo momentarily, but then threw it back down. He didn't have time right now to figure out how to load the unfamiliar weapon. Instead he reached for some of the grenades.  
  
Jones had no way of knowing how long the fuses in these grenades were set for and so he just pulled the pin in one of them and tossed it off on to the road behind them. He watched and waited, and waited..... Finally the grenade exploded, but it exploded behind their pursuers.  
  
Jones pulled another pin, but this time he held on to the grenade.  
  
"One, two, three, four, five," at five seconds he tossed it.  
  
Once again the grenade exploded behind the Nazi car, and failed to have any effect. Then the SS gunner opened fire again. Once again his bullets stitched their way up the road towards Jones and Vadoma.  
  
Jones pulled the pins on two grenades and held them for a count of seven, grimacing as he counted, and hoping that the factory that produced them practiced strict quality control. Then he let them fly. Two and a half seconds later dual explosions burst directly in front of the Nazi vehicle and sent it off the road where it slammed into a tree.  
  
Jones fell back against the steel plating of the gun emplacement, breathing heavily and wiping sweat that dripped from his forehead despite the chilly temperatures and the rushing wind. He jumped back down next to Vadoma but let her continue to drive, exhausted as he was from the battle just concluded.  
  
In a moment they passed a fork in the road. To the right the road went upwards, to the left it remained straight and flat. Jones said nothing to Vadoma, instead trusting in her knowledge of the terrain, or maybe in her gypsy abilities to find her way to the lake. Whichever it was she stayed to the left and continued on the flat road. A few moments later the other pursuing vehicle, the truck full of SS men which was considerably behind them, came to the fork, but they chose the road on the right.  
  
Jones and Vadoma continued for some distance, and a few minutes along the relatively straight flat roadway before it began to change into an upward incline. As they drove along they presented somewhat of a bizarre picture. Excepting the heavy machine-gun equipped armored vehicle, they looked incongruously enough like nothing more than just some happy young couple out for a Sunday drive in the country.  
  
Their speed was somewhat reduced by the hill, but the little armored vehicle chugged along steadily nonetheless. Indiana Jones knew that the only chance they had was to make it across the lake to Switzerland as quickly as possible. He knew that he'd killed at least a few, and maybe a lot, of the SS soldiers, and to be captured now would most certainly mean a quick ...or worse, a slow death for both of them. Either way, if they were to make it out of Germany alive they'd better hurry up and find the lake.  
  
After another minute they crested the hill and there, about five hundred feet of twisting road below them, lay Lake Constance. Jones could see clearly across its eight mile stretch of icy water to the snow clad mountains of Switzerland beyond.  
  
"There it is!" he shouted excitedly and pointed. Then his eyes surveyed the mountainous, switchback road below them, "take it slow and easy," he said to Vadoma.  
  
She slowed the vehicle down and began to descend the roadway. As they rounded the first bend Indiana Jones saw something that made his heart race. There was a road junction where a paved roadway joined on to the mountain track that they now descended. Barreling down this paved roadway towards them was the Nazi truck full of SS soldiers.  
  
"Step on it!" He shouted to Vadoma even as small arms fire began pelting down on them from behind and ricocheting off of the armor plating of their car.  
  
Jones hoped that they could outrun the more clumsy and cumbersome truck on the rugged, descending mountain road. But he wasn't taking any chances. He reached over, grabbed one of the three submachine guns and aimed backward to return the fire from the SS truck.  
  
The two vehicles engaged in a running battle. Jones was outgunned, but neither could get a clear shot as they both bounced and bucked along the rough road. He held down the trigger and kept up a steady stream of return fire at the Nazis while Vadoma kept her eyes focused on the road ahead, hoping that they could reach the lake before a lucky shot from behind found its mark. Indiana Jones fired the submachine gun until the last round was spent and then tossed the weapon to the floor of the vehicle.  
  
Vadoma reached the next switchback bend in the road and turned. They were particularly vulnerable at this point since the Nazi truck was in effect, right above them. Mauser rounds rained down on them as Jones and Vadoma crouched as low as possible in the front of the car. Vadoma struggled to keep control of the armored vehicle while at the same time trying to avoid being shot.  
  
A moment later the Nazi truck made an audacious move to try and cut off their escape completely. In a daring ploy the driver suddenly turned to the left, went off the road, and came barreling down the small hill that separated the two parallel stretches of switchback road. In a few seconds the truck would be able to cut off the path of the fleeing archaeologist and gypsy girl completely.  
  
The large, lumbering vehicle bounded clumsily down the side of the hill like some kind of huge mechanized beast fanatically pursuing its prey. But the fanatical move was just a bit too much, and in a stroke of luck for Jones and Vadoma the truck flipped over on to its side before it reached the road and could cut them off. Nazi soldiers spilled out of the back of the capsized truck like rag dolls.  
  
But some of the rag dolls got up and ran on to the roadway in front of Jones and Vadoma.  
  
Vadoma threw a nervous look at Jones, "Indy, what should I do?!"  
  
"Keep going! Run them down!" He shouted as their car sped towards the fanatical SS men, "but keep your head down!"  
  
There were about a half dozen soldiers standing in the roadway as Vadoma depressed the accelerator and prepared to ram the human blockade in front of them.  
  
A few seconds later they drove through.  
  
Hands reached out for them and grasped at the passing vehicle. One of the soldiers jumped on to the side and held on with one hand, while with his other he fought with Vadoma for control of the wheel.  
  
"Indy!" She screamed.  
  
Jones quickly stood up and landed a solid punch into the jaw of the SS man who slipped off, but still held tightly to the steering wheel as he dragged alongside. Vadoma leaned forward and bit down hard with her teeth into the white knuckles that gripped the wheel eliciting a scream which faded as the fanatic released his grip and tumbled to the side of the road.  
  
While Vadoma was getting rid of Nazi rider number one, Indiana Jones turned to see that two more SS soldiers had managed to jump on to the back of their armored car and were now climbing up into the gun turret behind him.  
  
Jones wasted no time. He climbed up into the turret himself and grabbed hold of the twin machine gun. He swung the weapon around and caught one of the Nazis hard in the chest with the barrels of it. The man was swept off of the car like a piece of unwanted rubbish and tumbled back down on to the road. But the second man had managed to climb up into the turret and now stood facing Indiana Jones with a wicked looking SS dagger clutched in his hand.  
  
Jones reached into his pocket for his Webley as Vadoma continued speeding down the mountain track. He raised his weapon to fire but was too slow and the Nazi kicked the gun out of his hand. Indy watched as it tumbled down under the front seat.  
  
He turned back in time to see the man lunge at him with the razor sharp weapon. Jones evaded the thrust with a quick sidestep followed by a right uppercut that caught the Nazi under the jaw. The man staggered backward and reached out to grasp hold of the machine gun to keep from falling. His fingers gripped into the bolt action of the gun. Indiana Jones saw his chance to exploit the moment.  
  
In a flash of inspiration he brought his foot up and used his boot to ram the bolt of the machine gun forward. The metal edges of the bolt action severed all four of the Nazi's fingers no less effectively than a guillotine. The SS man let out a high pitched, ear piercing shriek as he held up the bloody stumps and stared with unbelieving eyes at the new, fingerless configuration of his right hand.  
  
Indiana Jones terminated the scream with a well placed blow straight to the face that knocked the Nazi fanatic backwards. He tumbled off the side of the armored car and down on to the roadway to join the rest of his comrades.  
  
Vadoma turned around the last switchback bend in the road. It was now just a straight shot to the lake and she accelerated the vehicle. Jones looked back to see a handful of Nazi soldiers still running after them on foot; all that were left in any condition to do so. They were far behind, and falling further, but Indiana Jones knew that it was still a race against time to get across the lake.  
  
"Where is the boat?!" Vadoma shouted to him.  
  
"What boat?!" Indiana Jones shouted back with a wry look on his face.  
  
"The boat! The boat that's going to take us across the lake.!" She asked again.  
  
Jones shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know! Just drive until you see one!"  
  
She cast a nervous glance over at him and kept on driving.  
  
They had now entered the outlying area of the town of Friedrichshafen. They were on the shore of Lake Constance, or rather the main road that ran along the shore of the lake. As they rode along both Jones and Vadoma kept scanning their eyes, looking for any suitable water craft to get them out of Germany and across to Switzerland; anything would do, as long as it was fast, and would stay afloat across the eight miles of frigid alpine lake water.  
  
"That will do just fine!" Jones shouted above the sound of the armored car's engine and pointed at a small wharf where two speed boats were tied up.  
  
Vadoma slowed and turned the vehicle down a small road in the direction of the wharf. When they got there a few moments later they both jumped out, abandoning the car with the engine still running.  
  
"Which one?" Vadoma asked as she surveyed the two boats.  
  
"Whichever one starts first," Jones answered, "I'll try this one you try that one."  
  
The engines of both of the identical watercraft turned over with a push of their starters. Indiana Jones then suddenly jumped out of his boat, ran back over to the armored car momentarily and climbed up into the turret. He retrieved the two loaded submachine guns and three stick grenades that were still left in the wooden ammo box. Then he climbed back into the front and fished his Webley out from under the seat. Finally he ran back over to the two boats whose engines latently purred with the promise of getting the two fugitives across the lake to safety.  
  
Jones bent down and untied the lines to the boat on his side of the wharf and then stood up. He shot a glance back up toward the road to see a handful of SS soldiers running towards them. The cracking reports of a couple of far off Mauser shots rent the cold air as well.  
  
"Which boat Indy?!" Vadoma shouted as she stood back up on the wharf and saw the approaching soldiers.  
  
Jones casually pulled the pin on one of the stick grenades and tossed it into the boat on Vadoma's side, "The one without the hand grenade in it," he answered as he pulled her over to his side and they both jumped into the other boat.  
  
Indiana Jones pushed the throttle forward. The craft lurched ahead; its powerful inboard engine propelled the pair out on to the placid, ice cold surface of the lake and towards the mountains of Switzerland in the distance.  
  
A few moments later the grenade exploded. The other speed boat was blasted to pieces. Fragments and splinters rained down on the lake and on the frustrated SS troopers who ran down the wharf taking their last pot shots at the departing archaeologist and gypsy girl who'd inflicted such a punishing defeat on them.  
  
As they sped across the lake Indiana Jones glanced back at the growing distance between them and the nation of Germany behind them. He closed his eyes and laid his head back for a moment. They'd done it! They'd made it!  
  
Neither said a word as the boat bounded along across the surface of the lake accompanied by the powerful sound of the inboard engine. Both were still somewhat in a state of shock; and of course Vadoma still had to deal with the emotional issue of the death of her sister.  
  
At least they'd made it out of Germany alive.  
  
A metallic, droning sound suddenly charged the alpine air around them. Indiana Jones scanned his eyes around the lake in all directions but saw nothing. Then he looked skyward and his heart leapt into his throat.  
  
A Messerschmitt Me-109 fighter plane was descending on them like an angry hornet directly from the rear. The airplane was maneuvering into position for a kill. Indiana Jones took immediate action and spun the boat's wheel alternately to the left and then to the right; putting them into a zigzag pattern. But it was a futile gesture. With the speed of the plane, and the immense flat expanse of lake water upon which the boat traversed, they were like fish in a fishbowl. There was nowhere to run.  
  
The Me-109 cut loose with its well aimed, twenty millimeter cannons. Indy watched as fountains of water kicked up in a line directly for the boat. There was no chance.  
  
A second later the bullets tore into the wooden craft, piercing the engine and chopping huge holes in the deck. Splinters flew and fire shot out from the engine compartment as Jones and Vadoma threw themselves against the side of the crippled boat and waited for the maelstrom of bullets to pass; hoping they'd be alive when it did.  
  
Eventually the plane passed overhead; seemingly flying just barely above the water line and close enough so that the two fugitives could actually feel the heat of the airplane's engine exhaust as it passed.  
  
Miraculously neither of them had been wounded, but the boat was destroyed. The engine had died, and was on fire. But even worse, they were rapidly sinking. The frigid lake water poured in through the huge holes blasted in the hull and swirled around their feet. The boat was angling up at the bow and quietly slipping into the icy lake.  
  
As the water reached up past her ankles and towards her knees Vadoma turned to Jones, "Indy, it's......freezing!"  
  
Indiana Jones felt helpless. He knew they wouldn't last more than a minute in the freezing water. Frantically he searched around the lake, but they were utterly alone. He looked over at Vadoma but could find no words to say.  
  
"Indy, hold me!" Vadoma cried out in a wailing voice, a voice that knew that the end was only a matter of seconds away.  
  
Jones reached out for her and took her in his arms even as the water surged higher and the boat slipped lower into the freezing lake.  
  
At least they could die in each others arms. 


	36. Smoke on the Water

36  
Smoke on the Water  
  
The ruined boat slipped lower into the dark, frigid lake and the freezing, alpine water rose higher and higher around them. Indiana Jones and the gypsy woman Vadoma Maniskelko stood together; holding each other closely even as death literally clutched at their ankles and endeavored to pull them down into its eternal, cold embrace.  
  
Vadoma turned to him. A tear ran down her cheek, but at the same time there was a look of brave defiance in her eyes; the same magnetic fire that had so captivated Jones when they'd first met.  
  
"Indy, I... I wish that...."  
  
Jones held her closer, "Shhhh," he spoke softly and stroked her hair, "it doesn't matter now."  
  
Vadoma managed a weak smile, "Indiana Jones you are ....."  
  
"Wait!" Jones said suddenly as he looked up and his eyes scanned the sky, "He's coming back!" He said and pointed at the Me-109 fighter which had circled around and was now growing larger and larger in the sky as it again approached the crippled boat from the rear.  
  
"He's coming back to finish us off!"  
  
Jones spoke with a mix of both anger, and resignation to their cold fate. Then his eyes locked on to the two submachine guns and the two stick grenades still left that he'd taken from the armored car. His face darkened with a look of grim determination and a flash of revenge shone in Indiana Jones' brown eyes.  
  
"Let's give him a little something to remember us!" He said.  
  
He picked up one of the submachine guns, jacked back the action, and then handed the weapon to Vadoma. The other weapon he took for himself. Jones then handed her one of the grenades, "pull this pin when I tell you." He said, pointing to the arming pin, "and then throw it when I say."  
  
She took the grenade from him and then turned her gaze to look out at the droning aircraft that approached them from the distance, ready to deal them their final death blow. Her dark, sepia eyes too held the burning fire of vengeance; not only for her, but for her sister Pesha as well.  
  
Indiana Jones jacked the slide on the second submachine gun, picked up the other grenade, and then waited. The freezing water was now up around their knees and rising higher. Jones knew that once it reached up to their chest, and the boat slipped out from beneath them for good leaving them helpless in the water, it wouldn't be long before they'd both be dead. But they wouldn't go down without a fight...that much at least they would have. And they would have their chance at a last shot courtesy of the Messerschmitt pilot himself who wasn't content to just leave them to die, but instead, in true, thorough, Nazi fashion, felt compelled to strafe them a second time.  
  
Indiana Jones hoped to make him pay.  
  
The aircraft buzzed in from the rear. Once again it looked like some kind of angry wasp swooping in, growing larger by the second. Jones had disturbed the nest, he thought, and now he was paying the price. Despite the circumstances he couldn't help a dark chuckle at the analogy as he fingered the pin of the grenade in anticipation, hoping the shattered, broken boat would just stay afloat long enough for him to get a clear shot.  
  
Jones gauged the speed of the approaching aircraft the best he could, and then pulled the pin on his grenade.  
  
"Pull the pin!" He shouted over to Vadoma standing resolutely next to him and motioned to the grenade that she held by the 'potato masher' stick in her own hand.  
  
She pulled her pin, and then Indiana Jones began counting aloud, "One, two, three..."  
  
The Messerschmitt homed in on them in a descending pattern and the pilot prepared to unleash his twenty millimeter cannons on them for a second time.  
  
"four, five ...."  
  
Vadoma looked nervously from the grenade in her hand, to Indiana Jones, and then back to her grenade again. Though she knew she was about to die, the idea of being blown apart was still not an appealing one.  
  
"Six, seven...."  
  
The Me-109 let loose with its cannons and fountains of water kicked up on the lake in a concise pattern that bore directly for the stricken boat.  
  
"Indy!!" Vadoma screamed and stared helplessly at the lethal grenade clutched in her hand.  
  
"Eight, nine..." Jones voice grew louder as his count went higher, "throw it!!" He finally shouted.  
  
The two of them threw their grenades up into the air and in the direction of the low flying, oncoming airplane. Less than two seconds later twin air bursts rent the alpine sky in front of the Nazi plane. The suddenness of the unexpected return fire caught the pilot off guard. His wings wavered and the nose of the aircraft dipped for a moment towards the surface of the lake just meters below.  
  
That moment was all Jones and Vadoma needed.  
  
The pair simultaneously opened up with their submachine guns, spitting a stream of bullets that shattered the windshield of the Me-109 and mercilessly tore into the face and body of the screaming pilot.  
  
A fraction of a moment later the Messerschmitt, now piloted by a bullet ridden corpse, slammed nose first into the lake a mere ten meters behind Jones and Vadoma. The aircraft cart wheeled over them, throwing fountains of water as it broke up into pieces. One of the wings snapped off with the agonized sound of metal stretched beyond its limits. The wing splashed down close by to their boat while the rest of the aircraft careened away, throwing off pieces of rudder and tail before the remnants of the fuselage eventually came to rest about a quarter mile away.  
  
As their crippled boat slipped further under the lake water Indiana Jones' eyes went to the Messerschmitt wing which floated on the surface like a buoyant surf board just a couple of meters away.  
  
He grabbed Vadoma's hand, "Jump!" He shouted to her and gestured towards the airplane wing emblazoned with the German cross.  
  
Vadoma did not hesitate as the water in the sinking boat rose up to her thighs and she too saw the sudden opportunity to escape from their fate. She stepped up on to the gunwale of the boat, now just inches above the surface, and leaped across to the floating wing, landing roughly but safely.  
  
Indiana Jones picked up an oar that floated in the rising water and tossed it out of the boat towards Vadoma who now sat atop the wing. Then he scrambling up on to the last remaining portion of the craft, the very front of the bow, and made the jump to safety just before it slipped under the waves for good.  
  
"Indy! We're saved!" Vadoma exclaimed breathlessly.  
  
"Yeah," Jones said, "courtesy of the Messerschmitt Company. But I don't know how long this thing's going to stay afloat." He searched around the horizon with his eyes and picked up the oar, "which way to Switzerland?"  
  
Indiana Jones paddled towards the high mountains of Switzerland in the distance, stopping every so often to listen for the approach of any more German aircraft, and to contemplate the irony of traveling the last mile out of Germany, by water, on the wing of a Nazi fighter plane.  
  
But what lay ahead? He thought.  
  
Jones felt inside his leather jacket for it's inside pocket and was comforted to feel the envelope full of money still there. Though they'd spent some of the cash, there was still plenty to get them to Egypt. Their fake identity papers were in there as well. Then Jones felt in the outer pocket for his Webley handgun and was comforted by the presence of his trusted, old friend. But then he felt behind his back and realized that he was without that other old friend, his bullwhip, left behind along with the rest of their luggage on a German train car.  
  
As he gazed at Vadoma in front of him Indiana Jones could only hope that what lay ahead for them would be easier than what they'd been through already.  
  
No more German aircraft came, the Messerschmitt wing stayed afloat, and eventually they reached the southern shore of Lake Constance where they stepped off on to a sandy beach, and the soil of Switzerland.  
  
They were immediately greeted by a man who stepped out from behind some conifers. He was wearing a pair of binoculars slung beneath his neck and he was speaking to them in rapid German.  
  
Jones went for his Webley.  
  
Vadoma stopped his hand before he could raise the weapon.  
  
"No Indy!" she shouted at Jones as she listened to the man speak.  
  
"What is he saying?" Jones asked; the wariness and mistrust evident in his voice.  
  
When the man heard Indiana Jones speaking in English he quickly switched over to that language.  
  
"Hello my friends; please, do not be alarmed, I want to help you."  
  
Indiana Jones returned his Webley to his pocket but remained wary of the man who now stood before them, "Who are you?" Jones asked.  
  
"My name is Helmut Rupprecht, I came out here today to watch the winter birds as I always do," he motioned towards his binoculars, "but instead I witnessed your heroic fight against the Nazi plane; very impressive."  
  
Indiana Jones studied the man for a few moments, "You said you want to help us?" "Oh yes." The man answered, "I do not know who you are, but I saw what you did, and any enemy of the Nazis is a friend of mine." Rupprecht smiled reassuringly, "but come quickly, not everyone on this side of the lake thinks as I do. The Nazis have their friends over here too."  
  
Indiana Jones looked over at Vadoma, and then back at Rupprecht; then nodded his head.  
  
"OK," Jones said, deciding to trust the man, "let's go." 


	37. The Eternal City

37  
The Eternal City  
  
The next morning, Rome Italy   
  
Indiana Jones gazed out the train window as it drew nearer to the Tiber River and the great city of Rome; the heart and soul, and the center of culture, learning, and power, of maybe the greatest empire the world has ever seen.  
  
Rome was the city from which the likes of Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, and Hadrian ruled most of the known world. But it was a place where the lofty ideals of just government and the rule of law coexisted with decadent indulgence, slavery, and barbaric blood sport.  
  
Indeed Rome was an enigma.  
  
But Indiana Jones didn't have time to decipher the enigma of the ancient Imperial Capitol on this, the third day of the young year 1938. For him and Vadoma Rome was just a stop along the way on what was becoming an increasingly odyssey-like journey to try to reach Egypt and locate the missing archaeologist Lord Richard Malboury; and maybe find the lost Sun Tablets of the Pharaoh Akhenaton in the process.  
  
Their trip down from Switzerland to the Eternal City of Rome could probably best be described with the adjective 'whirlwind'. After the battle on the lake, Herr Rupprecht had taken them into his home where they'd had a chance to dry their clothes and get something to eat. Then the helpful Swiss gentleman, who spoke endlessly of his anti-Nazi views, was kind enough to drive the pair the sixty odd kilometers from Konstanz to Zurich. There in Zurich they boarded the train that would take them through the spectacular scenery of the Alps and down to Italy. But neither Jones nor Vadoma took in much of the scenery. Both of them were exhausted and slept most of the way through to the Italian border.  
  
Indiana Jones had been on edge as they crossed through to Italy, not knowing whether to expect any trouble from the border guards, or worse, the OVRA, Mussolini's secret police. Jones knew that the Gestapo had direct links to the Black Shirted OVRA and it wasn't altogether out of the question that they had cabled ahead to be on the lookout for the two of them; after all, at the very least he owed them one Messerschmitt airplane. But then again Jones hoped that maybe the Nazis thought that he and Vadoma had perished on the lake along with their boat.  
  
Whether the Nazis thought they were dead or alive though, Jones and Vadoma had no trouble at the Italian border. Their fake Identification papers worked fine and early evening had found them arriving in the Italian alpine city of Milano where they waited three hours for a night train down the coast to Rome. Now as dawn was breaking over the Apennine Mountains to the east, they were completing the last leg of the long journey.  
  
Vadoma was sitting next to Indy, her head resting sleepily on his shoulder until the train made a turn that sent a glint of early morning sun into her eyes.  
  
She squinted and stirred, "Where are we?" She asked in a tired voice that bespoke of their recent ordeals and travels.  
  
"We're almost to Rome," Jones answered her.  
  
"Good," she said, "I am so tired of trains Indy."  
  
"Well, you're in luck," Jones said, "this is the last train we'll be taking...at least until we get to Egypt anyway."  
  
Indiana Jones' plan upon arriving in Rome was to proceed down to the port complex of Ostia, ten miles down the Tiber River on the Mediterranean coast. There he would locate the first passenger ship, cargo freighter, tramp steamer, or whatever ship he could find that was leaving for Alexandria Egypt; a task that shouldn't be too difficult in Rome's busy port complex.  
  
Vadoma turned her head to get the sun out of her eyes and fell back asleep. Jones continued to contemplate the situation.  
  
For obvious reasons as they approached closer towards what was once the center of the Roman Empire Indiana Jones' thoughts began to turn once again to the Roman writer Grachius Calvertus, and his two thousand year old 'Sun Tablets' scroll that might hold the key to not only finding Richard Malboury, but also the three thousand year old Sun Tablets themselves.  
  
Despite the maelstrom of recent catastrophes and near escapes Jones maintained in his mind a clear picture of the archaeological aspects of the quest that he and the gypsy woman now pursued. Whatever else might be tumbling around in his mind at any particular time, for Indiana Jones there was one thing that was always neatly stored and arranged....and that was archaeology.  
  
He cast his mind back a few days to the discussion at the dinner table at Allenby's house. He thought again of the words written in the scroll that he'd discovered in the safe in Malboury's office:  
  
Where the sacred waters of the Nile anoint those of us who worship her glory...where ibuses wander to the tune of flute and sistrum...beneath the feet of the Goddess I laid to rest the power of the sun.  
  
As he had discussed at the dinner table that night, he thought for certain that the Goddess in question most probably must be Isis. Indiana Jones then thought of the most famous temple devoted to the worship of Isis; one that was active throughout the late period and the Roman period of Egyptian history. That temple was the Temple of Isis on Philae Island near to Aswan in the Upper Nile.  
  
The Sun Tablets scroll, probably buried by Calvertus in the Temple of Isis, was no doubt a map to the location of the Tablets themselves.  
  
Had Malboury already found it? Jones could only hope not.  
  
Jones knew too that it was likely that Marcus had come to the same conclusion, that the most likely location of the scroll would be the Temple of Isis on Philae Island. Probably he and the MI5 agent were even now endeavoring to reach the temple and find the scroll before Malboury and the Nazis.  
  
Indiana Jones knew that it did not bode well for him if either Malboury and the Nazis, or Marcus and MI5, found the Sun Tablets scroll before he did. The reasons were obvious why Malboury and the Nazis should not be allowed to find it first. But even for Marcus and MI5 to find it would be bad for Jones since, more than anything, he needed to find and rescue Malboury before anyone else could, in order to get himself out of the mess he was in with the authorities.  
  
It was essentially a three horse race, Jones thought, and right now he was in third place. But he knew that there was no quitting; no going back.  
  
As the train slowed and pulled into Rome's central train station, the Stazione Termini, Indiana Jones turned to Vadoma, "Wake up, this is where we get off," he spoke softly to her.  
  
Her long lashed eyelids fluttered and then opened slowly, "Finally," she said as she yawned and stretched, "I am so tired Indy."  
  
"Me too," Jones said, "but we're still a long way from Egypt."  
  
The two of them stepped off the train and walked out of the station on to the Via Giovanni Giolitti to search for a cab to take them to the port complex at Ostia.  
  
"Indy I am hungry," Vadoma suddenly exclaimed, "can't we stop and eat first?"  
  
Jones thought for a moment. All things considered, they could certainly spare a few minutes time to get something to eat, "Sure, I could use a bite too. A cup of cappuccino and some good Italian pastries might just hit the spot."  
  
They changed direction and proceeded up to the Via Nazionale. As they walked, Jones was still deep in thought. Malboury, Nazis, Marcus, the scroll, the Temple of Isis, the words of the Roman writer Calvertus; all spun round in his head.  
  
But there was something that wasn't quite right. Indiana Jones had a strange feeling about something. In the past Jones knew that such feelings had often proven to be premonitions. Something didn't sound right somewhere in the equation; something didn't fit. The problem was that he couldn't quite put his finger on what that 'something' was.  
  
Was Malboury perhaps a Nazi sympathizer after all? Were they all on maybe the wrong track? Did the Sun Tablets of Akhenaton and Nefertiti really even exist at all? What was it about the words of Calvertus that didn't seem to make sense? Indeed there were a lot of questions.  
  
But the questions could wait until after they ate, Jones thought, as he and Vadoma eventually found an appealing little sidewalk café on the Via Napoli and sat down. Both of them ordered cappuccino, and cornetti breakfast pastries topped with butter and eggs. The food was delicious; all the more so since it was the first food they'd eaten since Switzerland.  
  
Jones continued to turn over in his mind all of the questions that were now vexing him, and to try to figure out what it was that wasn't adding up.  
  
Malboury couldn't be a Nazi sympathizer, he thought. Otherwise why would the Nazis have sent Vadoma over to try and get information from him? And Jones had seen with his own eyes how the Nazis had tried to murder Vadoma in England to keep her quiet. No, he thought, it was something else that was bothering him. The more he thought about it the more it seemed to be something in the writing of Calvertus that might be the 'something' that was out of place.  
  
...Flute and sistrum... Jones ran over the words in his mind as he sipped his cappuccino. ...where ibuses wander... was there some kind of code? ...some kind of double meaning in Calvertus' words?  
  
Vadoma noticed the look of deep concentration on Indiana Jones' face, "What is it Indy, what's wrong?"  
  
Jones looked across the small café table at her and managed a half smile, "Oh, nothing, I'm just trying to solve a puzzle, that's all."  
  
"What kind of puzzle?"  
  
Jones shrugged, "That's just it, I don't know."  
  
He placed a forkful of cornetti in his mouth and continued to torture his mind trying to solve the conundrum whose solution seemed so close that he could almost taste it, just like the delicious Italian pastry that currently delighted his palate.  
  
...Beneath the feet of the Goddess... the sacred waters of the Nile... Jones turned the words over and over...anoint those of us who worship her glory...laid to rest the power of the sun... he struggled to find some hidden meaning, some secret clue...but after a while he gave up, unable to find anything. Maybe it was something else, he thought, as he and Vadoma finished their breakfast and flagged down a taxi.  
  
A few minutes later they were headed for the port complex at Ostia in the back seat of a taxi cab. They were hurtling down the Via delle Terme di Caracalla through the western outskirts of Rome at speeds that could at best be called 'excessive', and at worst 'dangerous'. Indiana Jones was bemused to think that he had yet to meet an Italian who could drive an automobile at anything less than breakneck speeds.  
  
At this rate it would be a short ride Jones thought; though he hoped it wouldn't end in a hospital. Determining that ignorance might be the best way to deal with the situation, Indiana Jones laid his head on the seatback, pulled his fedora down low, and closed his eyes.  
  
A moment later they sprang open.  
  
"That's it!" He suddenly exclaimed.  
  
"What's it?" Vadoma asked, startled.  
  
It seemed that revelations in the back seats of taxi cabs were starting to become the norm for Indiana Jones.  
  
"The words in the scroll!" Jones said excitedly, "the Temple of Isis! That's it!"  
  
Vadoma narrowed her pretty eyes in confusion, "What is it Indy?"  
  
Jones leaned forward and struggled to make himself understood to the cab driver in a mix of bad Italian and broken English. He succeeded, and a few moments later they were on their way back towards Rome... and the Stazione Termini.....  
  
They had another train to catch. 


	38. Beneath the Feet of the Goddess

Chapter 38  
Beneath the Feet of the Goddess  
  
5 hours later, the Main Library, Naples Italy, 100 miles south of  
Rome  
  
"Senor Vittorio Spinazzola," the middle aged librarian said as she dropped three large and heavy books on the table in front of Indiana Jones and pointed to the same author's name which resided on all three of them.  
  
"Grazi Senora Curtissini," Indy smiled at her and addressed her by her name, which he'd just learned.  
  
Jones knew when to turn on the charm and didn't hesitate to use it when necessary. In this case some friendliness, a few strategic smiles, and some tactical eye contact from the handsome American archaeologist had helped to facilitate the rapid location of the volumes that he needed.  
  
The woman smiled lustily back at him, as only a middle aged, Italian librarian can, and straightened the bun of dark hair that she wore to a dizzying height bundled atop her head like some kind of scale model replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  
  
Vadoma and the librarian threw each other a cold 'look' before she walked away back over to her desk, but Indiana Jones didn't notice as he had already put on his reading spectacles and was busily turning the pages of the first volume.  
  
The books were a three volume set; a lavishly illustrated documentary, written by Spinazzola, about the archaeological excavation of the ruined city of Pompeii; the city that had been utterly destroyed and buried by that fateful and devastating volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.  
  
Jones paused to admire many of the detailed photographs; one in particular he lingered on for several long moments. It was a photo of an excavated Pompeian wall painting that depicted some kind of religious ceremony being conducted. Another page displayed two photos; the first was of another wall painting, this one of a long legged bird, the second was a photo of a beautifully carved statuette. It was a marble statuette of a voluptuous Goddess carved in the distinctly sensuous Roman style. But hanging from her left hand was an ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life.  
  
Vadoma watched for a few moments in silence, but then could not entirely contain her curiosity, "What are you looking for Indy?"  
  
"The temple of Isis?" Jones answered without looking up from the pages of the book. He then flipped back to the photo of the painting depicting the religious ceremony, "and here it is...well, a painting of it anyway."  
  
Vadoma studied the picture and nodded.  
  
"And here is an ibis bird," he said, pointing to the next photo, "and here is the Goddess herself," Jones said pointing to the photo of the statuette.  
  
Vadoma studied the features of the beautifully carved, marble statuette for a few moments, "she looks like a queen."  
  
Jones then paused to read two full pages of text that were near to the photos he'd just shown to Vadoma. When he'd finished reading he began flipping through the pages fast again, as if looking for something specific.  
  
"What else are you looking for Indy?" Vadoma asked.  
  
"A map of the ruins of Pompeii. I need to find the map so I can find the temple. I know that Spinazzola drew a very detailed map...." Jones suddenly stopped turning the pages, adjusted his glasses and pointed down at the book, "...and here it is."  
  
The photograph in the book showed Spinazzola's map. It was very neatly drawn and extensively labeled; details such as the forum, the basilica, the amphitheater, gladiators' barracks, and other details of the ruined Roman city were carefully drawn and precisely identified. And especially important to Indiana Jones, all of Pompeii's numerous temples were also identified.  
  
"See, here is the temple of Jupiter, ...here's the temple of Apollo, and here it is...," he looked up at Vadoma momentarily and then back down at the page of the book where his finger pointed, "...the temple of Isis."  
  
Jones took off his reading glasses and glanced around the library, then over at the main desk where Senora Curtissini the librarian sat; stamping books, filing cards, and drifting into the occasional erotic daydream centered on the handsome American who'd come to utilize her library today, and whom she couldn't help sneaking occasional glances at to stimulate and punctuate her own vivid imagination.  
  
Jones stood up.  
  
"Where are you going now?" Vadoma asked him.  
  
"I need some paper and a pencil," he pointed over towards the main desk, "I was going to go and ask...."  
  
"You sit down," Vadoma subtly commanded, "I'll get the paper and pencil."  
  
A few moments later Indiana Jones began to laboriously draw out a copy of Spinazzola's map on to a piece of paper. After about five minutes of careful drawing he took off his glasses and paused for a moment. "Wouldn't it be nice if they had a machine that pages from books?" He mumbled before putting his glasses back on and resuming the tedious work.  
  
About ten minutes later he was finished. Jones carefully folded up the hand drawn map and slid it into his pocket as he gazed out one of the library's small, high windows. The afternoon had grown later and he only hoped that there would be enough daylight left. It was going to be hard enough to find the temple of Isis among the ruins of Pompeii, Jones thought, and he didn't want to have to try to do it in the dark.  
  
Twenty minutes later, and after a brief stop at a general store where Jones purchased a small folding shovel, they were speeding along the coast road in a hired car headed for the ruins just two dozen miles to the south. Indeed the shadows were beginning to grow longer, but Jones thought there was still plenty of time.  
  
Vadoma gazed listlessly out the window as the vehicle sped along the road with the Mediterranean Sea to the right, and the green slopes of the deceptively quiet and serene looking Mount Vesuvius off in the distance to their left.  
  
It was hard to believe that the quiet, gentle, slopes dotted with olive groves hid such a monster within; a monster that had so violently erupted, belching forth killing ash, boiling lava and choking gasses that doomed the thriving Roman city of Pompeii to an abrupt and sudden end nearly two thousand years ago.  
  
Vadoma looked over at him, "Indy, I am confused. Please tell me again why we have come here; why we are going to this ...dead, Roman city."  
  
"Alright," Jones said, thinking that maybe this was a good opportunity for him to review his own facts and to reassess his line of thinking in his mind to re-verify it.  
  
He gazed out in silence at Mount Vesuvius for another moment and then turned to her, "What we know....well, what we think anyway, is that the Roman historian Calvertus, who traveled throughout Egypt, drew a map on a papyrus scroll, a map that detailed the location of the Pharaoh Akhenaton's Sun Tablets. The Roman playwright Dorsius, a contemporary, and friend of Calvertus implies that Calvertus had second thoughts about showing it to anyone, not wanting to reveal something that he apparently thought was too powerful for man to possess, and he buried this scroll in a temple before he returned to Rome," Indiana Jones nodded his head and repeated, "BEFORE he returned to Rome, that's the first point."  
  
"The first point?" Vadoma looked at Indy questioningly.  
  
"Yes, in his writings Dorsius implies that Calvertus found the 'power of the sun' in Egypt, drew a map, but buried it before he returned to Rome. Then, in Calvertus' own writings...on the scroll that I found in Malboury's safe...Calvertus even details where he buried it: Where the sacred waters of the Nile anoint those of us who worship her glory, where ibuses wander to the tune of flute and sistrum, beneath the feet of the goddess I laid to rest the power of the sun." Indy repeated the words from the scroll that he'd found in Malboury's office; words which were now burned into his memory.  
  
Vadoma stared at him, a look of confusion still etched on her pretty face.  
  
Jones continued on, "So Calvertus buries the scroll in a temple, and he gives us some vague details as to exactly what temple he buried it in."  
  
"If he thought the Sun Tablets were something too powerful for man to possess, then why didn't he just destroy the map scroll?" Vadoma asked.  
  
Jones just shrugged, "I don't know, I guess you'd have to ask him yourself. Maybe he had doubts, second thoughts, I don't know. But the clues, from the writings of Dorsius and Calvertus himself, seemed to indicate that if the scroll existed at all it most probably was buried in the Temple of Isis on Philae Island in the Upper Nile. Marcus, Allenby and I discussed it at dinner the night.....the night that..."  
  
"The night that I got you into so much trouble," Vadoma finished for him.  
  
Indy looked out the window of the car and then back at her, "Anyway, that's probably where Marcus is headed right now, and where Malboury is probably leading the Nazis too." A slight almost imperceptible grin seemed to form on Indiana Jones' face, "But now I think we were wrong. I think that the scroll is buried in the Temple of Isis right here in Pompeii."  
  
"But Isis is an Egyptian Goddess, not Roman," Vadoma said.  
  
"That's true, but you must understand that there was a great deal of cult worship among the Romans; particularly in the centuries before and after Christ...that's how Christianity started in fact, as a cult.... The Roman city with probably the most diverse cult worship of all was Pompeii."  
  
"Those pictures you showed me in the book, they were from the Temple of Isis in Pompeii." Vadoma stated.  
  
"Yes," Jones nodded.  
  
"But what makes you think that the scroll was buried there, and not in Egypt as everything indicates?"  
  
"There was something that bothered me," Jones said, "something that just didn't seem to fit. I couldn't figure it out until just a few hours ago, but then it came to me, in the taxi in Rome."  
  
Vadoma gazed expectantly at him. "I finally realized that what didn't seem to fit were the words of Calvertus. When he says: Where the sacred waters of the Nile anoint those of us who worship her glory, it led us to believe that the temple must be somewhere along the Nile river. Especially since Dorsius says that Calvertus buried the scroll 'before' he returned to Rome."  
  
"Of course, so he must have buried it in Egypt." Vadoma nodded.  
  
Jones shook his head, "But Calvertus uses the word 'us'; he says 'those of us'."  
  
Vadoma cocked her head and squinted slightly as if trying hard to understand the thinking of the archaeologist.  
  
"Well," Indiana Jones continued, "don't you see? A Roman writer, writing in Latin, the language of Rome, uses the word 'us'," he shrugged briefly, "the 'us' he is talking about can only mean Romans."  
  
"I can understand that, but I still don't see how it fits together with everything else," Vadoma said.  
  
"Romans who worshipped the Goddess Isis," Jones said, "There weren't many Romans who would travel all the way to Philae Island in the Upper Nile to worship the Goddess Isis....no, Calvertus was talking about a temple devoted to Isis, but somewhere a lot closer to Rome. I'm sure now that he was talking about the temple in Pompeii."  
  
Indiana Jones gazed out towards the western horizon, at the blue-green waters of the Mediterranean, for a moment before continuing, "There was a thriving cult worship of the Goddess Isis in Pompeii during the time of Calvertus. Many wealthy Romans maintained villas in the city of Pompeii, Calvertus probably did too. Since he was so enamored of Egypt and its ancient culture, it's not a stretch to imagine that he was probably a devotee of Isis as well."  
  
"But what about the waters of the Nile that he mentions in that passage?" Vadoma asked him.  
  
Jones nodded his head, "remember the picture I showed you in the library?"  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"The picture of the ceremony in the temple," Jones said, "it shows a high priest placing his hands into a large cistern."  
  
"Yes?" Vadoma said.  
  
"What do you think is in that cistern?" Jones asked her.  
  
"I don't know. What?" "Nile river water," Jones said, "the Romans who worshipped the Egyptian Goddess were so devoted that they imported river water all the way from the Nile to use in their ceremonies. They even imported ibis birds too, and let them wander about the temple grounds...where ibises wander to the tune of flute and sistrum" Jones again quoted from Calvertus' scroll.  
  
"And if you remember the first point," Jones continued, "about Calvertus burying the scroll BEFORE he returned to Rome from Egypt, well, that was one of the things that made us think that it must be somewhere in Egypt. But if you consider the fact that if you're traveling from Egypt to Rome, certainly Pompeii is on the way; especially if you have a nice villa down there."  
  
"So you think that Calvertus buried the scroll in the Temple of Isis in Pompeii on his way to Rome, and not on Philae Island in Egypt."  
  
"Exactly," Jones answered simply, "....beneath the feet of the Goddess...now we just have to find the feet of the Goddess....," he said as he tapped on the metallic head of the folding shovel concealed under his leather jacket.  
  
Indiana Jones took another look out the window of the taxi. The shadows were indeed growing longer still and the sun was creeping closer and closer towards the line in the distance to the west where sky met sea. He was beginning to worry that they would be searching the ruins of Pompeii for the temple of Isis in the dark after all. Jones thought to himself that fate had certainly picked a bad time for him to finally meet an Italian who could drive an automobile slowly.  
  
But they did eventually reach the remains of the ancient Roman city before the sun reached the sea on the horizon. Jones paid the driver half of what he'd promised, and asked for him to wait for one hour. Then, in the thickening dusk of a Mediterranean sunset, and in the omnipotent, silent shadow of Mount Vesuvius looming to the east, Indiana Jones and Vadoma Maniskelko entered the ruins.  
  
They entered through the Herculaneum Gate on the northwest corner and proceeded down the ancient Via Consolare which ran along the edge of the city. As they moved along, the ruins of small residential dwellings eventually gave way to more elaborate structures. Indiana Jones could see that there were still many excavations in progress as they reached the center of the city and entered the area of the Forum, though there was no one presently working.  
  
Jones and Vadoma were utterly alone in the ruins as they walked past the edifices and remains of official buildings and market places. Walking through the ancient forum felt to them in a way like walking through some kind of strange, stunted forest due to the preponderance of Roman columns all about; the skeletal remains as it were, of the greatest empire in the world.  
  
Indiana Jones stopped for a moment and withdrew his hand-drawn map. He pointed ahead to the right, "The Temple of Apollo," he said.  
  
Vadoma looked over to where Jones pointed, "Where?" she said as she gazed upon one crumbling façade of Dorian columns sitting atop another, with a huge slab of cracked and broken marble sitting several meters behind.  
  
"That's......a temple?" she asked, a bit incredulously.  
  
"That's all that's left of it," Jones answered her, "but you can bet it was magnificent in its day."  
  
"Where is the God? ...Where is Apollo? ...Shouldn't there be some kind of statue?"  
  
"There was....once, a long time ago. It probably stood on top of that altar," Jones said as he pointed at the cracked and crumbling marble slab in the center of the temple's grounds.  
  
"Will there be a statue of Isis in her temple?" she asked.  
  
"Probably not," he answered.  
  
"Then how can we find the 'feet of the goddess' like it says in the scroll?"  
  
"I'll find it," Indiana Jones said with determination. Then he looked all around at the fading sunlight and the gathering dusk, "but we'd better get there soon," he then consulted his map once again and pointed ahead to the left, "this way, come on."  
  
They continued on through the ruins of the once flourishing Roman city. They passed through another residential area, and then another large forum, before coming to a small road lined with perfectly spaced columns and ending in a long rectangular building, most of which was still standing.  
  
"What is this place?" Vadoma asked.  
  
Jones consulted his map, "Gladiator barracks," he said.  
  
Vadoma walked up to one of the walls where a crude Latin inscription had been scrawled. She studied it for a few moments, "What is this Indy?"  
  
Jones walked up and examined it. His mouth twisted into a wry smile for a moment, "It's graffiti...the Romans loved to write graffiti. It seems a bit funny today...to read graffiti in Latin. But in Roman times it was one most beloved forms of self expression for the common man, or woman."  
  
"What does it say?" Vadoma asked, fascinated by the idea of reading the scratched thoughts of some long dead Roman commoner, or perhaps a slave.  
  
Indiana Jones squinted in the fading sunlight, "Successus the cloth-weaver loves Iris, the innkeeper's slave girl," Jones translated.  
  
Vadoma smiled, "An expression of love," she said, and then turned to gaze into Indiana Jones' eyes.  
  
Jones gazed back into Vadoma's dark brown eyes for a moment and then looked away, "Yeah, well, we've got to find the temple before dark," he said and then walked on through the archway into the courtyard of the Gladiator barracks.  
  
After passing through the courtyard they traversed through an enclosed garden area surrounded by square columns, and with a beautiful fountain in the center, before arriving at a large, circular, outdoor amphitheater.  
  
As he stood on the stage of the theater Jones once again consulted his map, "It's there," he pointed ahead in the direction of the semi-circular rows of stone bleachers across from the stage, "the temple of Isis is on the other side of this amphitheater."  
  
Jones and Vadoma went through one of the several narrow passages that passed through and beneath the bleachers and led out on to the street on the other side. Indiana Jones paused and pointed to the right.  
  
"There it is, the Temple of Isis," he said, pointing to the skeletal remains of a low wall surrounding grounds that contained several small, crumbling structures and sets of marble columns.  
  
Vadoma looked at the ruins of Pompeii's Temple of Isis, appearing even less impressed than she had been at the remains of the Temple of Apollo earlier.  
  
"Where is the goddess?" she said with a slight shake of the head.  
  
"Well, even if her likeness is no longer here, her spirit still is," Jones answered her.  
  
Vadoma looked oddly at him for a brief moment, "Indy, do you believe in such things as Gods, and Goddesses?"  
  
Indiana Jones paused for a moment, "I believe in archaeology," he said, before striding forth into the temple grounds.  
  
The darkness was thickening. The sun was gone, having sunk beneath the waves of the sea. All that remained was a deep red-orange glow that painted the sky and bathed the ruins of Pompeii in a weak but eerily colorful, dusty light. Jones knew there wasn't more than five minutes of useful light left though......and he hadn't brought a torch.  
  
He strode through the temple grounds with a purposefulness that surprised Vadoma; and within two minutes Indiana Jones found what he was looking for.  
  
"This is it here," he rested his hands on a marble pedestal, "this is where the statue of Isis stood."  
  
"How can you be sure Indy?"  
  
He looked at her and screwed his face up in a wry half smile, "I'm an archaeologist......I do this kind of stuff," he replied.  
  
Jones reached into his jacket and pulled out the folding shovel, but then he paused again. His hand went to his chin; an unconscious habit that he had whenever faced with some kind of difficult choice, or puzzle.  
  
"What is it Indy?" Vadoma noticed that he was uncertain about something.  
  
"Her feet," he said as he walked around the square base of the pedestal, "...beneath the feet of the goddess...but which side would her feet be facing?"  
  
Vadoma gazed out at the red glowing sky to the west, then turned around to look in the direction of the darkening sky to the east, "Which would the goddess rather watch," she asked rhetorically, "the sunrise, or the sunset?"  
  
Indiana Jones gazed at the beautiful gypsy woman and smiled, "You might yet make a good archaeologist."  
  
He moved around to the east side of the pedestal and began to dig. He dug quickly, and efficiently; his deft shovel strokes the product of many years of experience digging into the earth for buried treasures of the ancient world.  
  
He was both surprised and not surprised when, after digging less than a meter into the earth, his shovel struck something wooden.  
  
He stopped and looked over at Vadoma, "This is it," he said with a smile, and an excited nod of his head.  
  
Indiana Jones put down the shovel, lay down on his stomach, and reached his hands into the hole. He grasped hold of what appeared to be a small wooden box and began to wiggle it back and forth in an effort to wrest it from the earth.  
  
But then something caused him to suddenly freeze. That something was a lone gunshot, which shattered the dark silence of the ruins and ricocheted off of the marble pedestal above Jones, showering him with fragments of ancient Roman marble.  
  
"Get down!" he shouted to Vadoma. 


	39. Danger in the Ruins

Chapter 39  
Danger in the Ruins  
  
"Get down!" Indiana Jones shouted to Vadoma as he rolled away from his recently dug hole, grabbed her, and pulled her down with him on the opposite side of the marble pedestal.  
  
Two more gun shots sounded in rapid succession indicating that there was more than one gun man. Each shot kicked up a small clod of earth in the space just vacated by the archaeologist only seconds before.  
  
"Indy, we've got to get out of here!" Vadoma shouted as she crouched down; the fear and shock at the sudden attack evident in her voice.  
  
"I'm not leaving without that scroll!"  
  
"Who are they?" She asked incredulously.  
  
"I don't know," Jones answered her, "but I don't think they're just some pissed off archaeologists angry at me for digging on their turf! My guess is they're OVRA...Black Shirts.....Mussolini's version of the Gestapo!"  
  
Vadoma gazed at him anxiously, "But why....how....?"  
  
"Like I said before!" Jones peered around the side of the pedestal as he spoke, "after what happened back in Germany.....well, you can bet the Nazis weren't too pleased with the outcome!" he pulled his head back just in time to avoid a gunshot round that ricocheted off the marble with a whirring, whistling, scream, "They probably put the word out to their Italian friends to be on the lookout for us, knowing we might be coming this way!"  
  
"Oh Indy, is there any country we can go where we won't be hunted down like....like animals?" Vadoma said almost despairingly.  
  
Jones turned to her, "Yeah, the good old 'US of A', but it's a long way from here to Chicago right now!"  
  
"Come on Indy, we've got to go...now!" she tugged on his arm as another gunshot shattered the stillness of the deserted Roman ruins.  
  
Jones could now hear distant voices shouting at them in Italian.  
  
"I told you I'm not leaving without that scroll!" He said before diving around the side of the pedestal and lunging for the hole again.  
The archaeologist all but dove into the freshly dug excavation, hoping that he wasn't diving into his own shallow grave in the process. He grasped and clawed desperately at the wooden box within but it wouldn't budge.  
  
Two shots rang out again. The first of them slammed into the marble pedestal, but the second one tore right through the open flap of Indiana Jones' leather jacket, missing his body by less than an inch. Jones fought with the box for another long moment before it finally gave way. He pulled it up out of the hole and rolled out of the way of two more bullets, all in the same smooth motion.  
  
"Come on, let's get out of here!" He shouted as he tucked the box under his arm and grabbed Vadoma's hand.  
  
The couple ran through the ruins. Their feet clattered down on well worn, aged cobblestones as gunshots rang out behind them, clipping off pieces of marble from venerable old columns and facades.  
  
Indiana Jones pulled Vadoma with him as he made a sudden sharp turn to the left, running between the remnants of two large dwellings. Another left turn down an impossibly narrow alley led them out into a larger cobblestone lined thoroughfare.  
  
The shooting had stopped; a sign to Jones that they had at least temporarily lost their pursuers. He resisted the overwhelming temptation to break open the sealed wooden box and view its contents. Instead he reached into his pocket and quickly retrieved his map of the ruins. Breathing rapidly and squinting in the dim, last vestiges of daylight, he tried to make out his own handwriting.  
  
Vadoma too was breathless. She searched around nervously with her eyes, throwing anxious glances backward, "Which way Indy? I am confused."  
  
"So am I," Jones said as he looked up from the map at their surroundings trying to get some kind of bearings.  
  
The voices of the Italian secret police could once again be heard.  
  
Jones shoved the map back into his pocket and picked up the wooden box, "This way," he pointed, making his best guess, and the pair once again began running through the silent, empty streets of the ancient Roman city. A few moments later they entered an enclosed structure where they could hide from view.  
  
"What is this place?" Vadoma asked in a whisper as she looked around at its ornately painted walls.  
  
"The Stabian Baths," Jones answered her as he yet again pulled out his map. But it was useless to try to read it now; night had fully descended and Jones could no longer make out any of the map's features. Then he stood up and walked over to the entrance way again and peered out.  
  
"I'm not sure but I think if we just follow the Via Stabiana," he pointed at the road outside, "it will lead to the Vesuvius Gate on the North side of the city. It's just a short walk from there to the Herculaneum Gate where we came in."  
  
Vadoma nodded as Jones continued to peer out through the doorway of the ancient Roman bath house, checking as best he could to see if their antagonists were anywhere in view. Barring the chance that the Black Shirted secret policemen were waiting in ambush, the way looked clear. With a motion of his head Indiana Jones silently indicated for Vadoma to follow. The pair stepped out of hiding and back out into the dark ruins where they began to stealthily make their way up the Via Stabiana.  
  
Apparently they had indeed given their pursuers the slip because minutes later they safely reached the Vesuvius Gate. Indiana Jones made doubly sure that no one lay in wait for them there before he and Vadoma quietly slipped out of the ruins and made their way back towards where they hoped their taxi still waited for them.  
  
Their luck held, as both taxi and driver waited patiently. The driver sat lazily next to the cab smoking a cigar. At the approach of his customers he stood up and smiled warmly.  
  
But then their luck gave out again.  
  
From a distance Jones saw them. Two Black Shirt policemen were running towards them with side arms drawn. They were shouting loudly in Italian. The cab driver glanced over at the approaching policemen, and then back at Jones and Vadoma; now he was no longer smiling.  
  
A few seconds later a shot rang out. The cab driver's cigar dropped from his mouth as he threw his hands up into the air, shouted some kind of panicked prayer for his life in Italian, and ran off screaming into the night.  
  
"I just hope he left the keys in the ignition!" Indiana Jones shouted as he tossed the wooden box into the back seat and jumped into the front seat of the taxi.  
  
More gunshots sounded behind them as Vadoma jumped into the passenger's side. A moment later they streaked away, leaving a trail of burned rubber from the squealing tires.  
  
"But where will we go Indy?" Vadoma asked breathlessly after they were back on the coast road.  
  
"I don't know," Jones answered, "but the first thing we've got to do is get off of this main road. We'll be sitting ducks here."  
  
Jones glanced anxiously at the rearview mirror. A set of headlights followed them in the distance. The archaeologist tried to gauge the speed of the pursuing vehicle by the motion of the lights. It was going fast ...very fast. It was them, Jones knew it. He cut off the lights of the taxi and pressed the accelerator to the floor.  
  
The sudden darkness and the increase in speed on the winding coastal road alarmed Vadoma.  
  
"Indy! What are you doing?!"  
  
"I'm trying to lose them." he said, "Somewhere up here there should be a road that branches off for the port city of Torre Annunziata. I saw it on one of the maps in the library, and I think I saw the sign on the way down earlier."  
  
"Indy!" Vadoma shouted in alarm as Jones nearly ran off of the dark road and into a ditch.  
  
Jones swerved back over to the right and narrowly avoided disaster.  
  
He cut the headlights back on, "Maybe we'd better just leave the lights on," he said sheepishly.  
  
"There!" Vadoma shouted and pointed up ahead, "The sign; the sign for Torre Annunziata"  
  
Jones saw it too. He down shifted the vehicle, cut the headlights, and took the sharp left turn with a squealing of tires and a cloud of road dust. Then he once again punched the accelerator to the floor. A few moments later he cut the lights back on.  
  
The road sloped downward toward the port city and it was relatively straight, allowing Jones to pick up even more speed. But another quick check in the rear view mirror revealed that the pursuing policemen hadn't missed the turn either. Like an angry pit bull they clung tenaciously to the trail of the fleeing archaeologist and his beautiful gypsy woman companion.  
  
Vadoma watched Jones' eyes as he studied the rearview mirror, then she turned her head around to see the pursuing headlights for herself.  
  
"What will happen if we can't lose them?" she asked anxiously.  
  
Jones glanced over at her with a grim expression etched on his face, "They'll catch us, and turn us over to the Nazis," he said with chilling clarity.  
  
"I'd rather die," Vadoma said bitterly.  
  
"Reach in my pocket," Jones said to her as he gripped tightly to the steering wheel and motioned with his head towards the pocket of his leather jacket, "take out my gun."  
  
His eyes went to the rear view mirror again and he studied the reflection of the pursuing headlights for a moment," If they come too close....shoot at them," he said.  
  
Vadoma withdrew the Webley from Indiana Jones' pocket and nodded grimly.  
  
They were now entering the town of Torre Annunziata and were forced to slow down. Like most small Italian cities the roads of Torre Annunziata were narrow and haphazardly interconnected in what could best be described as a maze. But the maze of small streets was just what the doctor ordered for Jones and Vadoma, as the archaeologist once again cut his headlights and endeavored to lose his pursuers.  
  
After a series of twists and turns that Jones maneuvered carefully in the darkness, he switched his lights back on and discovered that they had reached the waterfront, and the city's main pier complex. Three dilapidated tramp freighters were tied up there. And two tired looking, rusted, old cargo cranes stood stoically above a helter-skelter jumble of shipping crates and cargo boxes strewn up and down the length of the pier.  
  
Indiana Jones finally brought the taxi to a halt; pausing to gather his thoughts and plan their next move, uncertain what to do next. But the pause was brief, because a moment later the policemen's car rounded the corner of the street from which Jones and Vadoma had just come.  
  
Indiana Jones slammed the taxi back into gear and punched the accelerator. Tires squealed and the vehicle swerved and twisted as its wheels spun, and then finally gripped the cobblestone street. But he didn't get far before he realized that the road, which suddenly narrowed up ahead, was blocked off by a parked truck. There was no way around it. Behind them the policemen were closing in fast. Jones knew that he had only seconds to react if they were to escape the trap.  
  
In a desperate move the archaeologist spun the steering wheel hard over to the left. The taxi skidded sideways before turning a full one hundred and eighty degrees. Now they were grill to grill with the oncoming police vehicle.  
  
Indiana Jones pressed the accelerator to the floor once again and sped forward in a brazen game of 'chicken'. But Jones was going to add another element to the game.  
  
"Shoot at them!" He shouted to Vadoma.  
  
She looked for a moment at the Webley revolver in her hand and then back over at Jones.  
  
"Shoot! Now!" He shouted again.  
  
Vadoma quickly rolled down the window of the car and leaned out, holding the weapon with both hands. She squeezed off three rounds, one of which impacted with the windshield of the police vehicle.  
  
The policemen were caught by surprise by the unexpected fire and the driver temporarily lost control of his vehicle which swerved to the side of the narrow street and sent a shower of sparks into the air as it scraped along the side of a brick building. Jones and Vadoma roared past them close enough to clip off their side mirrors.  
  
Indiana Jones now made directly for the pier.  
  
"I've got an idea!" he said as he began to weave between and amongst the jumble of shipping crates.  
  
Meanwhile the police vehicle had recovered, turned around, and was once again chasing after the pair of fugitives.  
  
On the pier Jones slammed on the brakes and brought the vehicle to an abrupt stop next to a large crate, "Get out here!" He said to Vadoma.  
  
She looked confused for a moment.  
  
"Hurry!" Jones urged.  
  
Vadoma opened the door, got out of the car, and stood on the dark pier..  
  
"Get down!" Jones said, "Stay here. Stay out of sight. Give me a few minutes and I'll be right back."  
  
Then Indiana Jones floored the accelerator. The wheels of the taxi spun on the oily, wooden surface of the pier for a moment before the vehicle took off again. He glanced back up at his rear view in time to see the police car turn on to the pier in pursuit of him. That was good, Jones thought, he wanted them to see him now; he had a plan.  
  
The final stage of the chase was on. But as Indiana Jones continued on down the length of the pier, weaving between the shipping crates, he was rapidly running out of room. The police vehicle doggedly continued to pursue.  
  
As she crouched in her hiding place Vadoma tried to watch, catching intermittent glimpses of the taxi and the police car as they dodged in and out of view between the huge crates.  
  
Vadoma had a clear view of the very end of the pier. And a moment later to her shock and horror, she saw the taxi driven by Indiana Jones hurdle off of the edge. The car flew a considerable distance through the air before it plunged into the cold waters of the bay, where it quickly sank.  
  
Vadoma brought her hand up to her mouth to stifle an involuntary exclamation of shock. And then she began to cry. 


	40. Destination Unknown

Chapter 40  
Destination Unknown  
  
After a time Vadoma Maniskelko stopped crying. Maybe Indiana Jones had gotten out of the car before it sank, she thought with renewed optimism. Maybe he was in the water right now trying to swim back over to the pier. Maybe he needed her help.  
  
She stood up suddenly and began to walk hurriedly and purposefully towards the end of the pier. But a set of hands that seemed to come from out of nowhere reached out, grabbed her from behind and pulled her back down behind the cargo crate and on to the planks of the pier.  
  
"Where are you going?" A voice interrogated in a loud, forceful whisper, "I thought I told you to wait here".  
  
Vadoma turned and gazed into the ruggedly handsome face of Indiana Jones, "Oh Indy!" She nearly shouted, and threw her arms around him, overwhelmed with relief at seeing him unharmed.  
  
Then she pulled back and studied him for a moment, "But you're....you're dry." she said with confusion evident in her voice, "You did not go into the water?"  
  
"Did it look like it?" Jones asked.  
  
"Yes." Vadoma answered simply.  
  
"Good," Jones said, "let's just hope I convinced our policemen friends."  
  
"But how did you ...?" Vadoma shook her head slightly in disbelief.  
  
"I got a little help from Grachius Calvertus," Jones said.  
  
Vadoma continued to stare at him incredulously.  
  
"...Or I should say, from his wooden box," Indy clarified his meaning, "it was just the right size to jam between the front seat and the accelerator pedal before I bailed out."  
  
Vadoma's look of incredulity changed to one of concern, "But what about the scroll?" She asked.  
  
"Right here," Jones pulled open his leather jacket, and in the dim illumination of one of the pier side freighter's quarterdeck lights he showed her the ancient Roman scroll tucked into his inside pocket; next to those two other precious possessions, the envelope full of Malboury's money, and their fake identity papers. Jones suddenly pulled his jacket closed, cocked his ear, and pressed a finger to his lips, motioning for Vadoma to be silent. He then cautiously poked his head around the side of the crate behind which they hid, and surveyed the pier.  
  
He turned back to Vadoma, "Maybe I didn't fool them as well as I thought," he said with concern, "They're searching the pier with flashlights. We've got to get out of here, now."  
  
Jones and the woman stood up and began to make their way down the darkened wharf and back towards the streets of Torre Annunziata; stealing their way stealthily along from behind one shipping crate to another. But as they crept alongside one of the hulking freighters and approached closer to the end of the pier Indiana Jones froze.  
  
Several more policemen were searching down the wharf with flashlights from that end. Jones turned to look back down in the other direction from which they'd come and was alarmed to see that the policemen coming up the pier from behind were methodically and rapidly closing in on them.  
  
He'd fooled no one with his trick, he thought, and now he and the gypsy woman were caught in a squeeze. They could try to hide, but it was unlikely they'd escape the powerful light of the flashlight beams converging on them.  
  
Jones knew that they needed to find an escape, and had probably less than one minute to do so. He momentarily fingered his Webley tucked inside the pocket of his leather jacket, but then thought better of it. A shootout in these circumstances would be sheer suicide; especially with these OVRA policemen who'd shown no aversions thus far to firing their own weapons. Then his eyes alighted on the cargo crane that stood just behind them, and alongside the decrepit looking tramp freighter in whose shadow they crouched.  
  
Indiana Jones had an idea.  
  
He studied the crane, or more precisely the cargo hook which hung down from the crane's rusty boom by a long, heavy chain. Then his eyes went to a side cargo bay of the freighter. The bay was large, at least three or four meters on each side. In keeping with the slovenly appearance of the rest of the dilapidated craft the door hung carelessly open, and it was apparently unattended.  
  
"Follow me," he whispered to Vadoma.  
  
Jones took her hand and guided her through the darkness as he climbed up on to the crane. The pair took extra care to step as quietly as possible on the metallic rungs of the ladder, which despite their efforts produced maddening, muffled clangs with each step. Luckily the sound escaped the notice of the policemen.  
  
Once atop the main structure of the crane Indiana Jones grasped hold of the large cargo hook. He paused for a moment to study the open cargo bay of the freighter, which beckoned across fifteen meters of open water, and did some quick mental calculations. It would be close, he thought, but as he gazed down at the encroaching flashlight beams closing in on them from both sides he felt there wasn't any other option.  
  
Vadoma watched him as he studied the freighter's cargo bay.  
  
"Indy ...you're not thinking of...."  
  
"I sure am," Jones answered her before she finished her question, "it's our only chance."  
  
"But...."  
  
"No buts," Jones said grimly, "come on."  
  
He grabbed hold of the large metal hook and ascended higher up on to the superstructure of the crane. Vadoma followed, though somewhat reluctantly.  
  
"Indy, I really don't think we can make it across."  
  
"I do." Jones said.  
  
"But what if we fall into the water?"  
  
"Then we'll drown, or our pals here will shoot us like fish in a barrel. Either way it's preferable to being turned over to the Nazis," Jones gripped her by the shoulders and looked her directly in her pretty eyes, "you said yourself you'd rather die."  
  
Vadoma gave a brave little smile, glanced across at the open cargo bay of the freighter, and then leaned forward and kissed Jones on the cheek, "I trust you Indy, I'm sorry."  
  
"Get on my back. Hold on, and don't let go!" Jones whispered forcefully before he grabbed tightly to the hook, stepped off to the side, and swung across the open water between the wharf and the freighter.  
  
He knew they'd only get one chance.  
  
To Jones it seemed that they were moving in slow motion as they swung out over the open space towards the old freighter with the evening wind whistling in their ears. They were completely in the shadows, which was a good thing in that it kept their daring acrobatic gambit from the view of the searching policemen. But it made it more difficult to judge the distance. And so it was with an abrupt, surprising suddenness that they swung hard into the side of the freighter. Indiana Jones, with Vadoma clinging to his back, reached out for the lip of the cargo bay door.  
  
To his dismay he failed to gain a grip anywhere and the pair began to swing helplessly backward; back toward the pier where the police were now almost upon the crane in their converging search. There was no way the police would fail to see them if they swung back over. Jones knew they were doomed. The daring ploy to escape had failed.  
  
Then with a sudden jolt they stopped, and hung frozen in the air right beside the open cargo bay.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
For a moment Indiana Jones could not comprehend what had happened. But then he looked down behind him to see that Vadoma had managed to catch the lip of the cargo platform with the heel of her shoe, which she now endeavored to lodge more deeply into the small foothold in order to better hold fast to it.  
  
"Good work!" Jones couldn't contain his elation at Vadoma's deft use of her foot wear.  
  
"Yes," Vadoma replied coolly, "and to think that in Amsterdam I almost did not buy these shoes....but they were on sale...fifty percent off."  
  
"Thank goodness for sales," Jones quipped as he struggled to reach over and find a hand hold on the rusted and rutted skin of the old freighter, "just whatever you do, don't let go yet."  
  
A moment later he got a solid grip.  
  
"On three," he instructed Vadoma, "...one, two, three!"  
  
With Vadoma clinging to Jones' leather jacket the couple swung the short distance into the door and landed in a rough heap on the steel deck. Jones let go of the hook.  
  
Hook and chain, no longer encumbered by the combined weight of the archaeologist and his gypsy woman companion, swung gently back over towards the crane on the pier. The large hook struck the crane's boom and the result was a loud, metallic bell tone which startled the policemen. A short volley of pistol rounds were fired in the crane's direction before the police swarmed on to it.  
  
Concealed behind a crate on the freighter's cargo deck Jones peered out through the open bay and watched the activities on the pier carefully. He only hoped that they wouldn't put two and two together. They didn't, and after a frenzied search on and around the crane, the police continued on with their search of the rest of the wharf area.  
  
On the freighter Jones leaned his head back against a cargo container, closed his eyes, and relaxed for a moment.  
  
The ship was quiet, and seemed almost to be deserted. But the action and the gunfire on the pier had finally begun to stir some activity on board. Jones determined that they were on the second deck, one below the main deck, and he began to hear a jumble of footsteps and activity above.  
  
"Indy..." Vadoma started to say something but Jones quieted her with a gesture. He cocked his ear and listened. Voices were moving towards them from somewhere on the ship. They crouched down lower behind their crate, hiding themselves from view just as a compartment door opened and two men entered. Dim lights were switched on.  
  
Jones placed his hand into his pocket and laid his fingers on the cold, nickel plated steel of his Webley handgun.  
  
But the men were apparently just passing through the space and into the next, where they ascended a ship's ladder up to the main deck. They were speaking in a foreign language that was not Italian.  
  
"What language is that Indy?" Vadoma quietly asked Jones.  
  
"I don't know, I didn't hear it well enough, but it sounded like Turkish," he answered her.  
  
More men passed through and more voices could be heard, both around them and on the deck above. It was a jumble of different tongues that Jones heard. He could now discern not only Turkish, but Arabic as well.  
  
Within minutes the ship that had lain so quietly, and seemingly deserted, was a bustling nest of activity. One sailor moved towards Jones and Vadoma's hiding place but passed it by without seeing them as he swung the large door of the cargo bay shut and secured it. Though he could not see them, Jones and Vadoma could see him. The man presented a rather unkempt and dirty appearance which, Jones mused, reflected that of his ship.  
  
A minute later they could feel the vibrations of the ship's engines coming to life.  
  
Uh-oh," Jones said subtly.  
  
"What?" Vadoma knew too that something was happening.  
  
"Don't look now but I think we're about to get underway," he said. "You mean we're leaving...the pier...going..." Vadoma furrowed her brow.  
  
"It looks like we're putting out to sea," Jones stated simply.  
  
As if on cue, a moment later a shudder, and then a long, rolling, swaying motion confirmed Jones' statement.  
  
"But Indy, what will we do?"  
  
"Relax," Jones calmed her, "we need a ride out of here anyway. Just like every other country we've been through so far, we've worn out our welcome in Italy," he said.  
  
Then he narrowed his eyes and mumbled, "But I do wonder why we got underway so suddenly."  
  
"We don't even know where we are going," Vadoma said.  
  
"No," Jones said, "all we can do is just hope that maybe this ship is heading in the direction of Egypt."  
  
He held her gently by the shoulders again and looked into her eyes, "Look, for now we'll just try and rest," he said, "it'll give us time to put some distance between us and Mussolini's goons. In the morning I'll go and talk to the ship's master," Jones then lifted his jacket flap to show the envelope full of money in its inside pocket, "I'm sure I can afford to pay for our passage."  
  
Then Indiana Jones pulled out the Roman scroll that he'd taken from the wooden box that had lain buried for two thousand years at the feet of the Goddess Isis in her temple in Pompeii, "Besides," he said as he unrolled the ancient papyrus document, "I still haven't had a chance to read this yet."  
  
Jones fished his reading specs out of his top pocket, put them on, and began studying the ancient document in the dim light of the ship's cargo compartment. It took only a few moments for a broad grin to spread across his face.  
  
"Look," he said to Vadoma as he motioned to the bottom of the scroll, "the signature, it's Calvertus," then he waved his hand around the scroll, "this is it Vadoma!" He spoke excitedly, "This is the map to the location of the Sun Tablets of the Pharaoh Akhenaton!"  
  
She gazed at the Latin writing and an assortment of pictographs and drawings.  
  
"So where does it show that they are? Where are these Sun Tablets that so many want so desperately to find?" Jones adjusted his glasses and studied the scroll some more, "I'll need more time to study it, but from what I can see here this map leads to a location somewhere in the Valley of the Kings."  
  
"Valley of the Kings," Vadoma spoke the exotic, provocative words slowly; words that evoked images of the greatest age of the ancient empire of Egypt, and the mighty Pharaohs of the New Kingdom.  
  
Meanwhile the ship rolled rhythmically and gently as it eased from the Bay of Naples and out into the Mediterranean Sea.  
  
Destination unknown. 


	41. Voyage Into Peril

41  
Voyage into Peril  
  
Indiana Jones didn't know how long they'd slept as he pushed off the old piece of canvas that he and Vadoma had used as a blanket and sat up. He consulted his watch and saw that it was nearly six o'clock.  
  
"Morning or afternoon?" Jones mumbled to himself as he looked around the untidy cargo compartment. Without being able to see the sun he had no way of knowing. But he was fairly certain that it was probably six in the morning.  
  
Vadoma sat up next to him and winced. They were both a bit sore from sleeping on the hard steel deck. She yawned, and then spoke to him.  
  
"What time is it Indy? Where are we? Where are we going?"  
  
"Whoa!" Jones gave a little chuckle, "one question at a time OK?"  
  
He gazed up over the edge of the crate behind which they hid and verified that they were still alone in the compartment, and then sat back down next to her.  
  
"Where are we going is the most important question right now," he said to her.  
  
"Ughh!" Vadoma gave forth with a sudden exclamation of disgust, "Indy, look!"  
  
She pointed to a large rat that had just come around the corner of the shipping crate and was curiously sniffing at the air near to their feet.  
  
Jones kicked out at the rodent and frightened it away.  
  
"Rats!" He said disgustedly, "I hate rats almost as much as I hate snakes."  
  
"Indy I don't like this ship. I have...a bad feeling about it."  
  
Jones glanced around the cargo compartment they were in again for a moment, "Yeah," he said, "I don't like it either."  
  
Vadoma continued on, "It's old and dirty, and those men...I did not like the looks of those men."  
  
Jones too had a bad feeling about the men. Even in the few brief moments he'd had to observe them he'd formed an opinion...and it wasn't good. But he said nothing, not wanting to alarm Vadoma unnecessarily.  
  
"Well," he said after a few moments, "I guess what we've got to do is find out as much information as we can." "Indy maybe we should just try to stay hidden!" Vadoma's voice echoed the fear that she was beginning to feel about their situation.  
  
"What," Jones said, "...stay hidden for the whole time we're here? We don't even know how long we'll be at sea. We'll starve."  
  
"Indy I am frightened," She said, her dark brown eyes beseeching his for strength and comfort.  
  
Jones smiled reassuringly, "Look, let me just go and..."  
  
"No!" Vadoma nearly shouted, "You're not going to go away from me," she stood up, "where you go I go!"  
  
"Alright," Jones said. Then his eyes went to the shipping crates that were scattered haphazardly all around them, "Well, the first thing we can do is see what these guys are carrying," he said as he searched around for some kind of tool to open a crate with.  
  
Feeling emboldened by their solitude in the compartment Jones began to walk around. Eventually he found a fire axe that was mounted on one of the bulkheads. He inserted the blade under the lid of a crate and wedged it open. After setting the lid aside he and Vadoma gazed down at the contents.  
  
"Shoes," Vadoma said as she reached her hand in and picked up one of the dozens of pairs of shoes in the crate. Then she screwed up her pretty face for a moment, "but they are old, and....moldy. How can they sell shoes like this Indy? Why do they carry cargo like this?"  
  
Jones reached his hand into the crate, "Because that's not the cargo."  
  
"Huh?" Vadoma said curiously.  
  
"....This is," Jones said as he reached through the pile of shoes and pulled out a burlap bag tied with rope from the lower reaches of the crate.  
  
"What is that?" Vadoma asked.  
  
Indiana Jones untied the rope and was immediately met with the unmistakable, flowery smell of opium."  
  
"Opium," Jones said, and then looked around the compartment, "if there are as many bags in the rest of these crates as there are here in this one...this is quite a haul."  
  
Then Indiana Jones looked thoughtful for a moment, "That's probably why they got underway in such a hurry," he said, "they probably saw all the police on the pier and got spooked....thought they were about to have some trouble."  
  
He glanced at his watch, "But right now the sun is coming up. Come on," Jones said as he replaced the bag of opium and then the lid of the crate, "if we can see on which side of this ship the sun is coming up we can figure out which direction we're going."  
  
Jones and Vadoma made their way over to the compartment door and then Jones cautiously turned the handle that released the metal 'dogs' that held it shut. He was gambling that there was no one in the space on the other side. He lucked out as he slowly pushed the door open and they stepped into an empty compartment. There was a ladder that led up to the main deck and they ascended.  
  
The pair cautiously crept up and out through a hatch and on to the ship's main deck. Actually it was an after deck that was a level above the rest of the main deck proper. They were near to the stern of the vessel, which was good as it was aft of the bridge, that way they were out of sight of the bridge crew that was currently manning the helm.  
  
It was a brisk Mediterranean winter morning. But the rising sun promised a warmer day ahead. A steady breeze blew that ruffled the brim of Jones' fedora and gently tossed Vadoma's sleek, raven hair about her pretty head. Both of them endeavored to remain low to the deck so as not to be seen as they made their way forward towards a large deck fitting that would provide cover. From their position they could view a large portion of the ship's main deck below them.  
  
Indiana Jones watched the sun rising at the edge of the horizon. He nodded and gave a little half smile.  
  
"The sun is coming up on the port side," he said to Vadoma, "that means we're headed south. At least one thing is going in our favor."  
  
A number of the ship's crew had gathered on the main deck below and Jones and Vadoma both leaned closer to the rail to get a better look as they began to hear loud voices and shouting. There appeared to be some kind of conflict taking place.  
  
"Indy, are they fighting?"  
  
Jones leaned closer to the rail, "Looks like somebody is."  
  
Several crewmen had formed a kind of circle around two others who appeared to be having an altercation of sorts.  
  
"I guess out at sea you've got to get your entertainment where you can," Jones said as he observed that some of the spectators were cheering the fight, and some even appeared to be placing bets with one another. But then something caught his eye.  
  
A glint of metal flashed in the morning sunlight. One or both of the men had pulled a knife. Indiana Jones watched more intensely as what had appeared at first glance to be just a simple fist fight between two sailors was turning into something potentially more deadly.  
  
"Indy, he's got a knife!" Vadoma said nervously.  
  
Jones said nothing. He swallowed hard and continued to observe the struggle on the deck below them with a tense expression. He reached out his hand to Vadoma to calm her.  
  
But there was no way to calm her after what happened next.  
  
With brutal clarity Jones and Vadoma watched as the crewman with the knife gained the advantage over his opponent, and then plunged the knife to the hilt into the man's chest. The unfortunate victim staggered forward and then fell face down on the blood spattered deck.  
  
"Oh Indy!" Vadoma let out a breathless scream.  
  
But that was only the beginning of the brutality.  
  
Indiana Jones and Vadoma Maniskelko watched in horror as the killer appeared to almost take a bow before the spectators who clapped, cheered and whistled. Then he reached down to his victim, grabbed hold of his tattered collar and dragged the body over to the side of the ship. There he callously kicked the corpse over the side where it dropped down and splashed into the blue-green waters of the Mediterranean.  
  
"Oh Indy! These men....they are killers...they are criminals!"  
  
Jones swallowed hard again. It appeared that ill fortune had landed them right in the middle of a band of murderous, opium smuggling cut throats. Had he had any idea, he would have stayed on the pier and just fought it out with the police. He was beginning to think that might have been preferable. Now they were out at sea, with nowhere to run.  
  
He turned to Vadoma, who was visibly shaking, "Listen, don't worry, we'll do what you suggested, we'll stay hidden until we pull into a port, and then we'll get off this ship. Don't worry, we'll be alright.  
  
But as Indiana Jones turned around he was rudely confronted with the realization that they wouldn't be alright. Standing behind them were half a dozen ragged, dirty looking thugs. Three of them carried large wooden boards or clubs, two others gripped wicked looking knives in their hands and at least one of them held a three foot length of pipe.  
  
Indiana Jones could clearly read the murder, mayhem, and madness that shone forth from their glazed eyes and cruel, salacious grins. 


	42. Hell Ship

Chapter 42  
Hell Ship  
  
Vadoma stifled a scream of terror as she turned and beheld the ugly group of men who now surrounded them.  
  
"Indy!"  
  
Jones knew that he had to think quickly and act decisively. Experience had taught him that when you find yourself totally overmatched, that was the time to resort to bluff. He also knew that men like these were impressed by only one thing....power and force.  
  
Indiana Jones took a purposeful step forward and spoke clearly and forcefully, despite the fact that his heart was pounding in his chest.  
  
"Take me to your Captain.....now!"  
  
The ploy momentarily startled the group of criminals, but only for a brief moment. One of the men stepped forward and raised the pipe that he was carrying up into the air in a threatening gesture as he burst forth with a torrent of words in Arabic. Meanwhile the rest of the group began to slowly encroach on them.  
  
While the group of cutthroats surrounding them were menacing, Jones took note of the fact that fortunately none had yet attacked them. Perhaps he could attribute that to his false bravado.  
  
The Arab finally stopped haranguing him and then another man spoke to him in English with a heavy Turkish accent.  
  
"Who are you?" He demanded, "How did you get on this ship?"  
  
"I will only speak to the Captain," Jones said with calculated boldness.  
  
More men now appeared around them, eager and curious to see the two stowaways. They eyed Jones with suspicion, but there was no mistaking the lewd and licentious way they ogled the beautiful gypsy woman. There were now more than a dozen dirty, unkempt criminals pointing at Vadoma as they talked among themselves and leered at her with rotten, stained, and toothless grins.  
  
One of the men grabbed her by the hair and ran his filthy hands through it.  
  
"Get away from me you filthy rikona!" Vadoma said as she recoiled from the vulgar touch.  
  
The oaf was taken aback momentarily by the fiery spirit of the gypsy woman. But then he shouted something rude to her in Turkish and slapped her hard across the face. Indiana Jones took a step towards the man but was abruptly stopped as a knife blade was held up to his throat. A sideways glance revealed the knife wielder to be none other than the recent victor in the fight that he and Vadoma had witnessed. Jones knew that this killer wouldn't hesitate to slit his throat.  
  
"Leave the woman alone! And take me to the Captain!" Jones shouted angrily.  
  
"Shut up you stupid pig!" One of the criminals shouted back over at him and then rudely reached out and lifted Vadoma's dress up. He lifted it up high, exposing her thighs and her panties, as another of the criminals reached in and slapped her on her exposed backside with his dirty hand.  
  
"Indy!!" Vadoma screamed in fear and terror, "Indy please help me!!"  
  
An uproarious and mocking laughter erupted from the crass group of seedy criminals as they listened to Vadoma plead.  
  
Indiana Jones was now frightened as he hadn't been frightened in a long time. But his fear was more for Vadoma than for himself. Whatever he had to face from these subhuman vermin he could face, but he could not bear the thought of Vadoma suffering and being violated as only a woman can, by these filthy beasts.  
  
Jones could see that the sight of the beautiful woman's shapely body and undergarments being exposed was whipping some of these scums of the earth into a dangerous frenzy of primal excitement. The situation risked getting out of control if he didn't make some kind of bold move immediately.  
  
In a risky move that could easily backfire and cost him his life Indiana Jones calmly but forcefully pushed the hand that held the knife away from his throat. At the same time he turned to look directly into the cold eyes of the criminal who held it. If eyes could shoot fire then the man would have been reduced to cinders as Jones stared him down in a contest of wills.  
  
"Leave the woman alone and take me to the Captain or you'll all regret it!" His strong words rang out above the din of voices and mocking laughter.  
  
The knife wielding criminal then raised his hand into the air and shouted some words in Turkish that silenced the rest of them. Then he rudely pushed Jones towards the ladder that led down to the main deck.  
  
"We go....Kapitan....now!" The man shouted at him.  
  
Another man grabbed Vadoma by the hair and pushed her towards the ladder. As he and Vadoma made their way along, a leg shot out from the crowd and kicked Jones in the backside, resulting in another round of uproarious laughter. Indiana Jones grimaced at the indignation. But, he thought, at least they weren't dead yet, and that meant that he still had time to figure a way out of this mess. Maybe the Captain, despite the fact that he led a crew of murderous thugs, was an honorable man. Maybe he would accept money in exchange for their safe passage. He could only hope.  
  
Eventually they were pushed, kicked, and led up forward to an area of the main deck in front of the bridge. There they were pushed down to a sitting position on the hard steel deck.  
  
"You wait...here! ....Kapitan....he come down!" One of the thugs said.  
  
For five anxious minutes Jones and Vadoma sat on the deck and waited. The men still stared at Vadoma with salacious lust in their crazed eyes, but luckily no one touched her. Perhaps, Jones thought, his false bravado had paid off. Perhaps the Captain had put the word out not to harm them.  
  
The Captain finally arrived. He was large to say the least. He was a Turk. The man stood well over six feet tall and weighed two hundred and fifty pounds if he weighed an ounce. He looked every bit as dirty and unkempt as the rest of the crew. The only article of clothing that might distinguish any kind of rank was an old worn, beaten, and oil stained Royal Navy Officer's cap that the man had somehow picked up somewhere.  
  
He strode purposefully up to the pair of stowaways sitting on the deck and gazed at them silently for several long moments with a look of extreme dissatisfaction etched on his face. His eyes lingered for a long time on the figure of Vadoma as she sat helplessly on the deck. Finally he spoke. But he spoke in Turkish.  
  
Indiana Jones spoke and understood many languages, but did not have much of a mastery of Turkish. He only managed to catch a few words here and there as the Captain spoke, but the words that he heard chilled him.  
  
He glanced over at Vadoma. She could not understand anything that was said, but she could read the Captain's demeanor clearly, and she was frightened. Jones tried to force a smile of reassurance, but couldn't seem to summon one from within. Indiana Jones too was frightened.  
  
The Captain finished speaking and then abruptly turned and walked away.  
  
"Wait!" Jones shouted to him, "Wait! I can...I can pay you....I..."  
  
A hand slapped him hard across the face.  
  
"Shut up you pig!" One of the criminals glared down at him.  
  
Another of the crew stepped forward and spoke to Jones in English. He smiled malevolently with a mouth full of rotten teeth. "Did you hear Kapitan?"  
  
"What did he say?!" Jones demanded.  
  
"He has decide your punishment."  
  
"Punishment?!" Jones did his best to act indignant, "Punishment for what?! We've done nothing...we..."  
  
Another hand slapped him across the face.  
  
"You are stowaways! No one stows away on Kapitan Sabri's ship!"  
  
"Indy, what's going to happen to us?!" Vadoma asked in a terrified voice.  
  
"I don't know!" Indiana Jones felt both confused and helpless.  
  
The criminal moved his face down closer to Jones; close enough so that Jones was nearly nauseated by the repulsive stench of the man's breath. He smiled malevolently again.  
  
"The Kapitan say that all of men will have a turn with your woman while you will watch," he began to laugh, "and after men finished with your woman.....we kill you both....slowly."  
  
The shock and horror that the man's words elicited in Indiana Jones was beyond description; he sat speechless on the steel deck.  
  
"Noooooo!!" Vadoma screamed, and then collapsed into sobbing.  
  
The criminal shouted something in Turkish. The crowd of filthy men on deck gave forth with lusty shouts of excitement and moved towards the helpless pair on the deck.  
  
Hands reached out and grasped hold of Indiana Jones' arms and held him fast while one of the thugs approached Vadoma, grabbed hold of her dress, and savagely tore the front of it down. Gasps of uncontrolled animal lust erupted from the horde of vile criminals as the helpless gypsy woman's firm, young breasts were indecently exposed.  
  
Vadoma screamed, and then tried to curl up into a fetal position in a vain attempt to protect herself. But other hands pulled her arms back and pushed her back up, exposing her breasts. Filthy hands rudely reached out and pawed at the vulnerable flesh.  
  
"Indy!" Vadoma shrieked in terror, "Please Indy! Help meeeeee!!!"  
  
Indiana Jones grimaced and fought against the hands that held him, but it was hopeless, their grip was too tight. And to further ensure that the archaeologist would be forced to sit still and watch his woman brutally gang raped, the man on his right placed a knife to his throat.  
  
"You see," the man leaned down and shouted in his ear, "this is what happens to stowaways...ha ha ha ha ha ha," he laughed cruelly, adding grievous insult to the heinous crimes about to be committed.  
  
Vadoma was now pushed down on to her back and her dress was pulled up. More filthy hands reach out and tore off her panties as she continued to scream for help, and beg for mercy from the merciless. More animal gasps of raging lust erupted from the horde of men as their collective eyes focused on the dark mound now exposed between the legs of the helpless woman.  
  
Indiana Jones agonized inside. If only they hadn't chosen this ship as a refuge from the police on the pier. If he had only known......known the evil that awaited them....  
  
Jones hung his head, and could not bear to look as the first of the scoundrels stood in front of Vadoma, dropped his ragged, filthy trousers, and prepared to violate her in the worst way that a woman can be violated. 


	43. Deliverance From Evil

Chapter 43  
Deliverance from Evil  
  
Why do the bad guys always make that one fatal mistake; that one mistake that always foils them and lets the good guys win?  
  
Indiana Jones turned that question over in his mind for a brief moment as he prepared to take action to save Vadoma from a terrible fate.  
  
Just as in Germany, where Jones had made the SS pay a high price for arrogantly leaving their armored vehicles unattended, so too did these sea going criminals make a mistake for which the archaeologist hoped he was going to make them pay.  
  
In all the excitement none of them had thought to search Jones for weapons.  
  
Despite the fact that they held his arms tightly, holding his elbows in close against his body, Jones was still able to freely move his wrists. More importantly, while the thugs were distracted by their excitement at the anticipated sordid entertainment about to take place, Jones was able to slip his right hand unnoticed into the pocket of his leather jacket.  
  
With smooth and calculated motions he slowly and carefully wrapped his palm around the hand stock of his Webley hand gun, slipped his finger around the trigger, and pulled the hammer back with his thumb. Then, with the weapon still inside his pocket, Indiana Jones deliberately placed the muzzle up against the kneecap of the fellow holding him to his right.  
  
The curious feeling of something hard pressing up against his knee caused the man to look down; just in time to see the muzzle flash, and to see his own leg nearly blown off.  
  
While the series of events that now took place took only seconds to occur, each calculated, desperate move was clearly defined in the mind of Indiana Jones as if they were happening in slow motion.  
  
The Webley boomed as the .45 caliber bullet, fired at point blank range, shattered the man's kneecap and pitilessly tore through tendon, bone, and muscle. The explosive force of the impact caused the lower leg, now attached to the upper by a few mere tendrils of bloody, tattered flesh, to fly up into the air in a crazy arc. The useless appendage then flopped back down; followed quickly by the man himself who dropped his knife, released his grip on Jones' right arm, and crashed to the deck clutching in shock at the bloody remains.  
  
With his right arm now free, Indiana Jones pulled the weapon out of his pocket and turned to the man on his left. He quickly brought the Webley up to bear against this second adversary. But the man, seeing what had just happened to his unfortunate cohort, reached his hands down to block Jones' weapon. However, unfortunately for him his actions only served to guide the powerful handgun's muzzle directly into his own groin.  
  
Jones squeezed the trigger, with the expected results.  
  
Now Indiana Jones was free of any grasp and he stood up. On the deck to either side of him two men lay bleeding and writhing in shock and agony. In front of him the ragged, filthy criminal who had been preparing to assault Vadoma now instead turned around, with his pants still down around his ankles, and found himself staring down the muzzle of Jones' .458 Webley.  
  
At the sound of the gunfire and the sight of their stricken comrades the rest of the thugs had hurriedly run for cover. But Indiana Jones knew that many of them probably had their own guns...or were running to get them. He knew that he and Vadoma had little or no time, possibly even just seconds, if they were to somehow escape.  
  
Jones aimed the weapon directly at the face of the pant less lowlife standing before him. The man searched his eyes around for a brief moment before falling to his knees, clasping his hands together, and shamelessly begging for mercy from the fedora clad, pistol wielding archaeologist.  
  
How quickly the evil become penitent when faced with retribution, Jones thought.  
  
Vadoma, now no longer in the grasp of the filthy horde of criminals, stood up. She quietly sobbed as she hurriedly tried as best she could to straighten her dress and fix the straps to cover her breasts.  
  
But then her sobs turned to shouts. She very nearly shrieked as she hurled an unbroken barrage of gypsy curses and insults at the dirty figure now kneeling before Indiana Jones. She punctuated her curses with a violent kick of her shoeless foot to the kneeling man's face that crushed his nose. Blood gushed as he fell face forward on to the deck.  
  
"Come on! Hurry!" Jones shouted and reached his hand out to Vadoma.  
  
She grasped on to his hand tightly with one of hers, while the other struggled to hold the remains of the front of her dress up. Together the pair fled towards the stern of the ship.  
  
"But where will we run to Indy!?" Vadoma said in a terrified voice, "There is....nowhere...only the ship!"  
  
"Like I told you once before!" Jones said as they ran towards the ladder that led up to the aft deck, "There's always somewhere to run!"  
  
A gunshot rang out and clanged off of the bulkhead in front of them. Indiana Jones knew to expect it, but had hoped that that they would have more time.  
  
"Go!" Jones shouted to Vadoma, "Up the ladder! Hurry!"  
  
More gunshots pelted against the bulkhead as Vadoma scurried up. Indiana Jones raised his Webley and fired a blind shot back to provide cover for the gypsy woman.  
  
With her usual graceful alacrity Vadoma was up the ladder and on to the upper deck in a flash.  
  
"Stay down!" Jones shouted up to her as he now put away his pistol and ascended the ladder himself.  
  
Upon reaching the upper deck Jones dove for cover behind the deck fitting where Vadoma huddled; the same place from which they had watched the fight and the murder earlier.  
  
"Keep an eye on that door!" Jones motioned with his head towards the door to the upper cargo compartment while he re-loaded the Webley.  
  
Jones loaded six fresh bullets into the gun's magazine, and then briefly glanced at the small box of .45 caliber bullets in his hand. He counted about fifteen more, which represented all of the ammunition that he had left, before thrusting it back into his pocket.  
  
Jones peered over the deck fitting a moment later and watched as the horde of human vermin began to emerge from their cover and proceed aft, towards him and Vadoma. They proceeded cautiously at first but within moments they were charging en masse and shouting as they ran towards the ladder to the after deck where the archaeologist and the gypsy woman were huddled. Indiana Jones raised his Webley and fired, and then fired again and again. One criminal was dropped in his tracks.  
  
But then the door to the upper cargo compartment behind them burst open. A ragged looking man with a butcher knife in his hand and madness in his eyes charged out. Jones dropped him with a single shot to the chest.  
  
The archaeologist then turned his attention back forward, only to see that two men had already ascended the ladder and were running towards him. Jones fired the last two rounds in his Webley, and then scrambled to reload the weapon.  
  
But Indiana Jones knew that it was a lost cause. There was no way that he could hold off these savage criminals indefinitely; there were too many. He cast his eyes around hopelessly. There was nothing but ocean in any direction.  
  
Maybe that was best, he thought as he gazed into Vadoma's eyes which reflected the same hopelessness that he felt. Maybe they had no choice but to jump into the dark waters and take their chances. Jones knew that it would mean almost certain death. But it would be a death infinitely preferable to the one that these beasts would have in store for them.  
  
Jones finished reloading the Webley just in time, as two more men emerged through the cargo door. He fired two rounds in that direction and the criminals ducked back inside.  
  
Vadoma looked at him, and then gazed out at the ocean around them. There were tears in her eyes.  
  
Gunfire erupted now from the cargo doorway and Jones and Vadoma crouched down even lower behind the deck fitting that provided cover for them.  
  
Jones looked directly back into Vadoma's eyes, as if in silent, solemn agreement, before taking another shot at the cargo door and then one in the direction of the ladder; trying to keep the murderers at bay, and forestall the inevitable.  
  
"Indy..." she said quietly with her head down, "Indy, we....."  
  
"Wait!" Jones shouted at her suddenly in a voice that was anything but hopeless, "Wait Vadoma! Look!" He shouted and pointed his finger.  
  
There, on the other side of the afterdeck, a small life boat hung from a davit. Indiana Jones wondered why he hadn't seen it before. And even more encouraging, Jones noted that the craft appeared to be motorized. He could clearly see the propeller and shaft protruding from under the stern.  
  
"There's our ticket off of this ship from Hell!" He said as he finished reloading the Webley.  
  
"Indy watch out!" Vadoma screamed.  
  
Indiana Jones whirled around and poured lead out of the muzzle of the Webley in the direction of the cargo door. Two new bodies flopped down on top of the earlier victim.  
  
Jones studied the lifeboat, and the davit from which it hung, for a few more moments, and then turned to Vadoma.  
  
"When I say go, make a run for that boat!" Jones said as he loaded the last of his bullets into the Webley and threw the empty box down to the deck, "But make sure to grab that fire axe on the way!" He pointed to a fire axe mounted on a bulkhead.  
  
Vadoma followed Jones' finger to the axe on the bulkhead and nodded her head; not questioning the reason why. She knew to trust this man; to trust him more than any other man she had ever known.  
  
"Go!" Jones shouted, and then fired two bullets each in the directions of the cargo door, and the ladder to cover her.  
  
He watched as Vadoma made it to the bulkhead, grabbed the fire axe, and then leapt into the lifeboat in what appeared as one smooth, choreographed motion. As soon as she was in Jones made a run for it.  
  
Bullets flew as he made his own desperate run. Jones had only two bullets left in his own gun, but he turned and fired blindly back before leaping into the craft where Vadoma was already huddled down.  
  
"Give me the axe!" He shouted to her as he watched a crowd of angry, vengeful criminals now swarm up the ladder and on to the afterdeck in pursuit of him and Vadoma.  
  
With his ammunition gone, Indiana Jones knew that what he was about to attempt was their last chance. Failure meant death; either at the hands of this mob of murderers, or in the cold depths of the sea, thirty feet below them.  
  
"Hold on tight to something! Don't let go!" The archaeologist shouted to Vadoma just before he swung the axe in a wide arc and struck at where the davit lines held the stern of the boat.  
  
The axe made a clean cut through the lines and the boat dropped down suddenly and abruptly by its stern. It dangled twenty or so feet above the waters of the Mediterranean at a precarious angle; hanging now by its bow davit lines only. Vadoma screamed in both terror and surprise as she grasped on to one of the benches inside the boat and held on tightly to keep from falling into the sea below.  
  
But Jones missed as he swung for the forward davit, and the horde of criminals reached the boat before he could try again. Filthy hands reached out for them. One of the men tried to climb into the boat. Jones swung the axe down on top of the man's head in a vicious blow that smashed his skull and catapulted him over the side and into the water.  
  
"Hold on!" Jones shouted as he swung for the forward davit lines again. This time he was on the mark.  
  
The boat, now cut free of the ship, plunged downward into the sea; splashing roughly into the waters of the Mediterranean. Indiana Jones only hoped that the little craft would not capsize. Despite the rough launching though, the boat remained afloat. But Jones knew that was only half the battle.  
  
The ship continued to move, and as their small boat sat stationary in the water each blessed second put more distance between Jones and Vadoma, and the thugs and criminals on board the ship who now receded off into the distance. But as Indiana Jones knew would happen, the lumbering freighter eventually began to turn in a slow, lazy arc as it endeavored to come about. Jones was counting on the fact that freighters like this rarely had much steering capability. That would work in their favor, it would give them a little time, he thought. But then again it wouldn't matter if they couldn't get the engine started.  
  
The archaeologist now turned his full attention to the boat's engine. As he looked around Jones quickly realized that the craft they were in was more of a motor launch than a lifeboat. As he checked the fuel tanks and opened the fuel line Jones conjectured that such a well maintained craft on a such a run down, rust bucket freighter crewed by murderous cutthroats probably served a rather sinister purpose.......piracy. The engine was large, and looked capable of making good speed.  
  
The freighter had almost completed its turn about, and from about a thousand yards away was beginning to point its bow back in their direction. Jones made the last few checks to make sure of all the engine's connections and then cranked over what appeared to be the starter switch, crossed his fingers, and prayed. The engine coughed, sputtered, and then roared to life. Jones engaged the linkage mechanism, pushed the throttle forward, and grabbed the craft's small steering wheel as it lurched forth in the water.  
  
Instead of steering away from the pursuing freighter though Indiana Jones cut his throttle and spun the wheel around to bring the motor launch about, its bow now pointed directly at the ship.  
  
"Indy what are you doing?" Vadoma asked incredulously.  
  
"Trust me," Jones answered, and then pushed the throttle all the way forward.  
  
The motor launch sped forward on a direct course back towards the slow moving freighter. Jones closed rapidly on the ship. But as he brought the swift boat directly upon it, he altered his course so as to pass down along the port side. He was careful to maintain sufficient distance to keep out of range of any gunfire. Some distant crackling confirmed the wisdom of that precaution.  
  
Within a few moments Jones and Vadoma in the motor launch had passed down the entire length of the ship and were speeding away. Vadoma now understood his maneuver.  
  
She gazed over at him as the Mediterranean wind whipped her dark hair, "I see now," she said, "by the time they turn again we will be even further away."  
  
"Exactly," Jones said, "by the time they manage to get that clumsy rust bucket turned around again we'll be miles ahead. Then when you figure we can make at least three times their speed...." He let his words trail off.  
  
Indeed they were rapidly putting huge distance between themselves and the freighter. The only worry Jones had was fuel. But it seemed that both tanks were topped off, which should be sufficient for many miles, he thought.  
  
"Do you think they will be able to catch us Indy?" Vadoma asked in a worried voice.  
  
"I don't think so," Jones answered.  
  
"But we have stolen their boat."  
  
Indiana Jones turned and gave her a reassuring smile, "I don't think they'll waste too much time chasing us," he said, "we were just some unexpected....entertainment. They've got too valuable of a cargo to waste too much time trying to catch us. With as much opium as their carrying they could buy a hundred boats like this."  
  
"But what about the men you....."  
  
"Killed?" Jones finished her sentence for her, stating the word starkly, "I'm not so sure you can use the term 'men' to describe them," he said grimly, "but it doesn't matter, they'll just dump them over the side and get more somewhere else. There's no shortage of bad men in this world."  
  
Vadoma gazed across at Indiana Jones with her dark eyes and swept some strands of raven hair from her pretty face, "Yes," she said in her soft, low voice, "there are many bad men in this world.....I know. And there are not enough good men. But you...Indiana Jones...you are a good man. ...You are a good man in a bad world."  
  
Indiana Jones just looked over at her and gave a self conscious, wry half smile as they cruised on southward through the blue-green waters.  
  
The sun was now full up and radiant; spreading it's warmth across a beautiful Mediterranean morning. Indiana Jones and Vadoma Maniskelko had escaped the worst kinds of dangers thus far in their quest. But what dangers lay ahead in their odyssey to reach the land of the Pharaohs?  
  
Perhaps only the Gods knew. 


	44. Poseidon's Good Graces

Chapter 44  
Poseidon's Good Graces  
  
Indiana Jones and Vadoma Maniskelko sat in their commandeered motor launch and rolled with the gentle Mediterranean swells. Behind them a brilliant, blood colored sunset shot liquid rays that diffracted in abstract patterns through scattered gray clouds. The boat's fuel supply had finally run out, but not before the pair had made a full get away from the sadistic tormentors on the hellish freighter.  
  
Jones had initially steered southward until he felt confident that they were out of sight of their pursuers. He had then turned abruptly eastward and set a course for a slow moving squall line in the distance. Moving into the squalls served two purposes. Firstly it served as cover just in case the freighter was persistent and still followed. Secondly it delivered much needed water to the two weary travelers who had had nothing to eat or drink for over twenty four hours.  
  
The squall had been mild, with only a minor stirring of the seas. Jones and Vadoma rigged a tarpaulin that they had found onboard, and used it to catch the rain water. Their thirst quenched, the pair had continued on eastward and eventually passed through the small storm and back into smoother waters.  
  
Now they sat dead in the water and at the mercy of the winds and currents. Both were famished, and Jones had only the vaguest idea of their position. But they were alive; and Indiana Jones had a hunch that their luck, which had thus far been nearly all bad, was about to change.  
  
Vadoma had repaired her tattered dress the best she could, but the first order of business once they reached land would be some new clothing. She was exhausted from the ordeal, and as her stomach growled she couldn't help thinking over and over again of the delicious cornetti pastries that she and Indy had eaten in Rome.....seemingly an eternity ago. But like Jones, though they were floating aimlessly about in a small wooden boat in the vast expanse of the Mediterranean, she was thankful just to be alive.  
  
She gazed back over the stern at the blood red sunset.  
  
"Isn't it beautiful," she said wistfully.  
  
Jones looked up from the ancient Roman scroll of Grachius Calvertus that he continued to study carefully in the day's waning light.  
  
"Sure," he said, "the sunset is beautiful, but it just means that darkness isn't too far off, and ......wait...look!"  
  
"Huh?" Vadoma watched as Jones stood up and pointed off in the distance to the east. "Do you see it?" He said, "It looks like a boat, and it's coming our way."  
  
Indeed after drifting around aimlessly for several hours and seeing no other craft, they had finally sighted another vessel.  
  
"We've got to signal them," Jones said and searched around vainly for something that could be used to get the attention of the approaching craft.  
  
"Indy, are you sure it is safe?" Vadoma asked cautiously, "How do we know who they are?"  
  
"We don't," Jones said as he gave up trying to find anything to signal with and simply started to wave his arms, "but I don't look forward to starving to death out here. There's no land in sight, we're out of fuel, and like I said, it's going to be dark soon," he gazed over at her with a determined look, "we've got to take our chances......again."  
  
Vadoma joined him in trying to signal the approaching craft. A few moments later the other boat blew its horn in recognition.  
  
"They see us!" Jones shouted happily.  
  
"Yes, so they have," Vadoma's voice was tinged with a bit more uncertainty.  
  
It took several minutes for the boat to make its final approach to Jones and Vadoma's drifting motor launch. Both watched with apprehension as the dark craft came closer. Eventually they could make out details. It was a fishing trawler.  
  
At last the trawler came within earshot and Jones called out to the stern faced, mustached man who stood stoically on the forecastle clutching a long boathook. Indeed, Jones thought, only the lack of a peg leg would dissuade anyone that it wasn't Captain Ahab himself clutching a harpoon and searching the deep waters for his white, leviathan nemesis.  
  
The man cupped one hand to his mouth and returned Jones' shouts.  
  
Indy turned to Vadoma "Greek.....he's speaking Greek!" He said.  
  
"Do you understand Indy?"  
  
"Yes," Indy answered, "I began learning Greek even before I went to elementary school. It was the first foreign language my Dad forced.....er, encouraged me to learn."  
  
Jones then cupped both hands to his mouth and shouted over to the fishing boat once again, this time in Greek.  
  
A few moments later they were aboard the fishing trawler with the motor launch in tow. All apprehension and fears were quickly dispelled as Indiana Jones and Vadoma Maniskelko made the acquaintance of the two, and only two, crewmembers of the small vessel.  
  
Mr. Nicholas Christopolous and his wife Silvia were a kind old couple who had spent their thirty years together fishing the waters of the Mediterranean; partners in both life and business. They listened sympathetically as Indiana Jones related the harrowing ordeal aboard the tramp freighter. Silvia especially took pity on Vadoma and quickly escorted her down below where she outfitted her with clean clothing; a plain but pretty Greek peasant dress and some leather sandals. Then the couple served them a tasty dinner of fried fish and stuffed squash blossoms. It was the first food they'd eaten in more than a day.  
  
After dinner Jones and the old Greek fisherman talked over glasses of ouzo as the sun sank into the sea astern. Silvia went below to fix up some sleeping mats for the unexpected guests and Vadoma went to help her. It would be an all night voyage for the little trawler to reach home; home being a small fishing village on the outskirts of the town of Palaiokhora, on the southern coast of the Island of Crete.  
  
"So your final destination is Egypt?" The old fisherman said as he lit another of several cigarettes that he'd smoked since he and Jones had begun drinking the strong, sweet tasting, Greek liqueur.  
  
"Yes," Jones answered, "can you take us?"  
  
Nick smiled as he blew smoke and took another sip of ouzo, "No....no Mr. Indiana Jones, I'm sorry but I don't think that my 'Dina' could make such a long voyage," he smiled, "she is a little too old," he said in reference to his boat, the 'Dina'.  
  
Jones glanced over at him, "It's only about four hundred miles from Crete to Alexandria, and I'm willing to pay handsomely."  
  
Nick chuckled, "You talk of such distances as if they are nothing Mr. Jones, and perhaps they are, to a man such as you, who travels around the world. But for me and for my 'Dina'... he shook his head, smiled apologetically, and shrugged.  
  
Jones looked down at the deck, disappointed, but understanding.  
  
"But why would you want to travel on my slow, old boat, when you can fly?" Nick asked cryptically.  
  
Indiana Jones looked up, "Huh?"  
  
Nick took a deep drag on his cigarette and poured another glass of ouzo for both himself and Jones, "I have a friend. He lives in Palaiokhora near to me. He is not a Greek, he is a Jew."  
  
Indiana Jones listened with curiosity as Nick took a sip of ouzo and continued on.  
  
"He has a...a...," Nick seemed to be searching for a word that eluded him, "an airplane that lands in the water," he said finally.  
  
"A flying boat?" Indiana Jones perked up; maybe his luck was indeed about to change for the better, he thought, "Your friend has a flying boat?"  
  
"Yes, a flying boat," the fisherman answered, "He is a merchant, a trader, he flies often to Palestine," then the old man narrowed his eyes conspiratorially for a moment, "but his cargo is not always as he says it is."  
  
Indiana Jones mentally digested what the man was saying for a few moments then he looked over at Nick with a knowing look, and took an educated guess, "He's a gun runner?" Jones said, "...for the Zionists in Palestine?"  
  
Nick's silence was enough of an answer.  
  
"Do you think I could convince him to make a side trip to Egypt?" Jones asked hopefully, knowing that in a flying boat it would be a mere four or five hour trip from Crete to Alexandria Egypt.  
  
"I'm sure for the right price Simon could fly you to Alexandria," the old fisherman said, and then gazed around at the scattering of stars that were beginning to emerge in the young night sky, "tomorrow we should arrive a little after dawn. In the morning I will take you to see Simon. Until then you should get some rest Mr. Indiana Jones."  
  
The weary archaeologist could find no argument against that, and retired below for the evening, with hopes for an expeditious conclusion to the final leg of his long and tortuous journey to reach the ancient kingdom of the Pharaohs.  
  
Vadoma was already fast asleep.  
  
The sun was just beginning to break over the craggy cliffs of the south coast of Crete as the 'Dina' entered a rather secluded, little inlet and eventually tied up to a short, wooden pier; one of many in the small, sleepy fishing village on the outskirts of Palaiokhora. The scent of the sea mixed pleasantly with that of the land here and wafted a sweet aroma throughout the air. Jones and Vadoma awoke, refreshed after a good night's sleep; a sleep that was all the more satiating as it had been complimented by the gentle rolling of the Mediterranean. Whether or not any of the other gods had forsaken them, Jones knew at least that Poseidon had not.  
  
They ate breakfast in the home of Nick and Silvia; a small cottage that sat high up in the cliffs overlooking the bay, and that was reached by an ancient, well worn, stone lined path. Nick was delighted when Indiana Jones told him that he could keep the commandeered motor launch. Jones had no further use for it, and he said it was the least he could do.  
  
After breakfast Nick led Jones and Vadoma further up into the hills. They crested the summit and then began to descend the steep hill that led to the next bay over.  
  
Even before they began to descend Jones saw it. There, far below them and in the distance Indiana Jones could make out the smooth lines of a Sikorsky S-43 flying boat moored next to a long wharf that reached out into the center of the bay.  
  
"There," Nick said pointing off in the distance at the moored aircraft, "there it is. There is my friend Simon's ....flying boat as you call it."  
  
"And there's our ride to Egypt", Jones mumbled quietly as he felt the inside pocket of his leather jacket. The feel of the wad of cash that he'd carried all the way from Malboury's safe back in the British Museum was reassuring. It was smaller than when they'd started out, but still plenty.  
  
"Where's his house?" Jones asked.  
  
"I take you now," Nick answered and continued to descend down the side of the steep hill towards a village that was like a mirror image to the one they'd just left.  
  
Ten minutes later they sat outside on the stone veranda of the house of Mr. Simon Harrow and sipped strong, hot, Greek coffee. Jones explained his situation and his desire to obtain transport to Egypt.  
  
It turned out that Simon Harrow was born in New York City, and was an American citizen. But he had left years earlier and now devoted his life to the cause of the Zionists in Palestine who hoped to establish a free and independent Jewish homeland; a subject of which he spoke passionately. He and Jones took an immediate liking to each other.  
  
"So many people don't know the whole terrible story of what is going on now in Nazi Germany," Harrow said.  
  
Jones looked over at Vadoma for a brief moment, "Yeah, well, we do; from personal experience," he understated. "It's going to get much worse before it gets better," Harrow continued on, "the Jewish people need a homeland; a land where Jews will not be persecuted," he looked over at Indiana Jones, "and that is why I do what I do Mr. Jones."  
  
"Mr. Harrow, I believe that your cause is a just one, but right now all I'm concerned with is getting to Egypt as fast as possible." Jones pulled out his envelope of money, withdrew several large denomination English pound notes and laid them on the table, "and I'm willing to pay handsomely."  
  
Harrow stared at the money for a moment and then looked back up at Indiana Jones, "Keep your money Jones," he said and then paused for a moment, "Your cause is a just one too."  
  
A few hours later they were high above the Mediterranean, flying southeast on a course for the Egyptian port city of Alexandria. As Jones gazed through the plane's windshield and down through openings in the clouds he caught occasional glimpses of ships traversing the blue water so far below; looking like tiny smudges upon the vast expanse. He couldn't help wondering if one of them wasn't the smugglers' freighter from which he and Vadoma had barely escaped with their lives.  
  
When the aircraft finally set down Harrow chose a secluded little beach fringed with date palms near to Abu Qir on the outskirts of Alexandria. They made a smooth landing as the Sikorsky touched down into the clear, warm waters and taxied in towards the shore. Harrow came in as close as possible before Indy and Vadoma had to step out and into waist deep water.  
  
As they waded in to shore Jones turned, thanked Harrow one last time and tipped his fedora to his new found friend before stepping out of the water and on to the sandy beach.  
  
Egypt at last! 


	45. Cairo

Chapter 45  
Cairo  
  
The rusty, dilapidated, old Mercedes bus pulled to a stop in Cairo's Tahir square and opened its doors. The passengers, grateful that the hot and dusty trip down from Alexandria was finally over, eagerly stepped out and into the crowded streets and blazing, afternoon heat of Egypt's capitol.  
  
As one Arab couple alighted, the man turned to his wife and gave his hand to assist her down. He wore a white turban wrapped about his head in the style of the Bedouin, with a full length, white 'aba' cloak to match. She wore a traditional, ankle length, black 'abaya'. Beautiful, dark, almond eyes stared out through the small slit between her black 'hijab' head covering and translucent black 'niqab' face veil. Like most of the passengers they each carried a small suitcase of belongings.  
  
They proceeded through the square and entered the market place. In keeping with tradition the woman kept several paces behind her husband as she walked. As they entered the market they had to step aside several times to allow passage to Bedouin merchants and their camels, laden with jars of palm oil, and baskets of oranges and date figs.  
  
In the market place the couple made their way past all manner of little shops selling brassware, leather goods, and cheap, phony imitations of antiquities. Some of the fly-by-night antiquities shops even advertised powdered 'mummy'; a favorite of some of the European tourists, who attributed everything from longevity in life to sexual prowess, to the so called 'drug'. More often than not the sought after 'ancient' powders turned out to be nothing more than ground up animal bones, or worse, ground up human remains that were anything but ancient.  
  
As they continued on, the man strode purposefully, and with a knowledge of the streets that was borne of experience. They zigzagged through alleyways and passed through several narrow avenues before reaching the outskirts of the market where the streets became somewhat wider. Here and there were small pastry shops where fez covered men sat sipping tea and eating flakey, honey covered sweets as they sought solace away from the blistering, Cairo afternoon sun.  
  
Eventually the couple made their way out of the center of the city and entered a residential neighborhood where after a time the man drew to a stop before a two storey apartment building. He paused and cupped his hand over his eyes as he gazed up the stairway and squinted at the familiar door to the second floor apartment.  
  
"This is it," he said to the woman.  
  
She angled her head to gaze up at the rather ordinary looking dwelling, "This is where the best digger in all of Egypt lives?" She said through her veil.  
  
"He and his whole tribe," he responded.  
  
"Tribe? What do you mean, tribe?"  
  
"You'll see, come on," he gestured for her to follow as he ascended the stairs to the apartment and gave three solid raps on the door.  
  
The door was answered by an attractive and cheerful looking middle aged woman. Following along behind and around her was a multitude of children of various ages, from toddlers to teenagers, who curiously studied the two strangers for a moment before their mother recognized the man standing before her in full Arab, Bedouin dress.  
  
"Indy! Indiana Jones!" She exclaimed as she reached out to him with hands that were beautifully decorated in traditional patterns of henna. She drew him towards her and gave him a big, affectionate hug.  
  
"Uncle!" Some of the children shouted as they also recognized the man. They came forward and reached out for the archaeologist they knew so well as the good friend of their father Sallah, whom Indiana Jones often referred to as the 'best digger in all Egypt'. Jones affectionately patted the children on the head.  
  
"Now I see what you mean by 'tribe'," Vadoma said quietly.  
  
"Oh Indy!" Sallah's wife, Emira, said with an edge of concern in her voice, "Sallah and Marcus, they are so worried about you! We were all so worried about you!"  
  
"Marcus is here?!" Jones asked excitedly.  
  
"He was," Emira answered, "but they left this morning, Sallah, Marcus, and that other man."  
  
"Agent Elliot from MI5," Jones said, identifying the third man, "...Emira, where did they go?" He asked her with urgency in his voice.  
  
"They left this morning on the 'Queen of the Nile'. They said they were going up river, all the way to Aswan, and Philae Island," she said, then glanced over at Vadoma, and then back at Jones, "But please, you must come inside. I'll fix some cold tea. It is so hot today...please come in."  
  
Jones and Vadoma stepped inside.  
  
"Oh, Forgive me, allow me to introduce you to my friend," Jones gestured over at Vadoma, "Emira, I'd like you to meet my friend Vadoma Maniskelko."  
  
Vadoma removed her veil. She gave a quick glance over at Indiana Jones, sending a brief message with her eyes that it was OK for him to have introduced her to Sallah's wife using her Gypsy name. Then she smiled warmly at Emira.  
  
Emira smiled back just as warmly. She was quite taken by Vadoma's exquisite beauty; appreciating it in the way that such a warm and generous woman as herself can appreciate the beauty of another woman.  
  
"You are quite lovely Vadoma," she said, "please sit down and I will pour some tea."  
  
"Thank you," Vadoma said, as she and Jones entered the parlor and sat down on a long, padded sofa. Emira returned in a few moments with three glasses of cold tea. She set the tea down on the low parlor table and then sat down in the chair opposite her two guests.  
  
"Run along children," she gently urged her impressive brood. The numerous, but obedient children of the house of Sallah immediately obliged their mother, and left the room to go back to their play.  
  
After the children left the room Emira turned back to Jones and Vadoma and looked upon them curiously for a moment, "But tell me, why do you dress in the style of my people?" She asked, gesturing at their Arab dress.  
  
"Well," Jones paused, "I guess for the same reason that you all were so worried about me," he said, and then glanced down at the floor, "You must know that I'm in a little bit of trouble with ....the authorities. It's all a misunderstanding, but it's going to take a lot to clear it up. Until then I'm kind of a....'wanted' man."  
  
"Yes ...yes I know that Marcus and Sallah discussed that you were in some trouble, and that you were missing. We were all so worried," Emira said sympathetically, "but I'm not sure I understand fully. With what authorities are you in trouble Indy, the British?"  
  
Jones gave a wry half smile and scratched the back of his head through his turban, "Well, I think it would be a shorter list if I was to tell you who I'm NOT in trouble with. But yeah, I thought it might be best to travel incognito for the time being."  
  
"I understand," Emira said as she nodded.  
  
Then Jones shook his head a bit dejectedly, "But I was hoping I could catch up to Marcus, or find Sallah to help me. Now it looks like I'm too late for either," he looked up at Emira, "you say that they left this morning? ...On the 'Queen of the Nile'? ...What time?"  
  
"Very early," she answered.  
  
"Damn!" Jones mumbled, "Looks like I'm a day late and a dollar short again."  
  
"Maybe not Doctor Jones," a young woman's voice spoke.  
  
Indiana Jones looked up to see Sallah's oldest daughter, Bassira, enter the room.  
  
"Hello Bassira," Jones said as he assessed the young woman, "you sure have grown since last time I saw you."  
  
"Next year I will go to Princeton, to study archaeology like you Uncle....er, Doctor Jones," she smiled with pride as she spoke.  
  
"And I'm sure you will make your father very proud. He must be very proud of you already. But what do you mean...maybe not?"  
  
"My father, Mr. Brody, and the other man left this morning on the 'Queen of the Nile'," she said, "but she is not a very fast boat."  
  
"Yes?" Jones said.  
  
"My friend Malak, her uncle operates the 'River Goddess'. The 'Goddess' is far faster than the 'Queen'," Bassira paused for a moment while Indiana Jones listened intently, "of course the 'Queen' goes all the way beyond Aswan...all the way to Abu Simbel, while the 'Goddess' she is mostly for the tourists, and only operates between Luxor and Cairo. So you would have to..."  
  
"...I would have to catch up with them sometime before reaching Luxor," Indiana Jones finished the young woman's sentence for her, then glanced at his own watch, "they've got a twelve hour head start..." he said to no one in particular.  
  
"Yes," Bassira concurred, then glanced at the clock on the wall, "but you must hurry, the 'River Goddess' departs Cairo before the sun goes down today."  
  
Jones stood up, "Do you think we have time?"  
  
"...If we hurry!" Bassira said as she tied on her head scarf and proceeded towards the door, "Come, I will take you to the 'River Goddess'."  
  
Emira smiled proudly as she watched her daughter take charge of the situation, then she stood up and spoke to Indiana Jones, "Go. Go with Bassira. Good luck! Find Sallah and Marcus. They will always help you Indy, you know that."  
  
Jones downed the rest of his tea and then gave her a hug, "Thank you Emira."  
  
"May Allah go with you!" Emira said as she embraced Jones, and then Vadoma. A few minutes later they were speeding through the crowded streets of Cairo in a taxi cab, trying to reach the Nile waterfront before the river boat 'River Goddess' departed for its weekly round trip to Luxor and the other temple complexes of the New Kingdom on the upper reaches of the mighty river.  
  
Bassira sat in the front seat, speaking in Arabic and directing the cab driver while Jones sat in the back and spoke the language of money; promising a large tip if they could reach the boat before it left.  
  
The driver took a twisted, tortuous route at breakneck speeds through impossibly narrow alleys and crowded main thoroughfares alike, before finally arriving at Cairo's waterfront district.  
  
But they arrived just in time to watch as the 'River Goddess' cast off the last of her lines and gracefully began to move south, up river.  
  
They were too late! 


	46. Passion on the Nile

Chapter 46  
Passion on the Nile  
  
"Damnit!" Indiana Jones exclaimed in frustration as he watched the 'River Goddess' slip further and further out into the center of the Nile.  
  
"Looks like we missed the boat again," the archaeologist said dejectedly.  
  
"Not yet!" Bassira shouted as she jumped out of the taxi and ran down the pier.  
  
Jones watched as the girl ran until she came to where a large dhow sat moored next to the pier. Bassira jumped on to the boat and began to shout in Arabic. A moment later a man, a woman with a small child, and an older Arab girl emerged from the river craft's small cabin where it appeared they had been taking their evening meal.  
  
Bassira spoke excitedly, pointing over at Indy and Vadoma, and at the 'River Goddess' which slipped further and further away. Then Bassira motioned for the archaeologist and the gypsy woman to come over to the boat. Already the man was starting up the vessel's outboard engine and preparing to cast off the lines.  
  
Jones quickly paid the cab driver, giving him a sizeable tip for his efforts, and then he and Vadoma grabbed their small suitcases and ran for the dhow.  
  
"Hurry!" Bassira shouted to them as they made their way over to the boat.  
  
As soon as they came aboard the Arab man at the stern began to accelerate the craft out into the river. Bassira then explained.  
  
"This is my friend Malak," she said pointing to the Arab girl on the boat, "that is her father and mother. Her uncle operates the 'River Goddess'. We will catch up to them and get you aboard," she smiled with satisfaction.  
  
Jones eyed the girl with admiration, "Thank you Bassira, what can I say, you are quite a girl! You're going to make quite an archaeologist too. You know how to think on your feet."  
  
Bassira blushed while Malak smiled, delighting in her friend's bashfulness at the handsome stranger's compliments.  
  
Within minutes the dhow caught up with the 'River Goddess' and drew up alongside. Some shouts from Malak's father to his brother on board the river boat resulted in a rope ladder being quickly dropped over the side. First Vadoma, and then Jones ascended, after which Bassira and Malak passed their luggage up to them. The dhow then turned away. Jones and Vadoma waved in thanks to Bassira as her smiling face faded into the distance. A short while later the couple was escorted to their berthing by one of the luxury vessel's smartly dressed stewards. It was cabin number 11 in the aft starboard quarter one deck below the main deck.  
  
"One of our finest cabins," the man gestured, and bowed extravagantly as he opened the door to the splendid little cabin that Jones had just finished paying handsomely for. In fact it had cost him the majority of his remaining money. But it would be their home for the next few days until they reached Luxor, over three hundred miles up the meandering Nile, where Jones hoped that he could finally track down Marcus Brody.  
  
Luxor was a regular stop for all of the large Nile river boats that plied the mighty river and Indiana Jones was hoping that Bassira was right about the 'River Goddess' being fast enough to overtake the 'Queen of the Nile'. He needed to get to Luxor first.  
  
Jones tipped the man generously. The archaeologist then shut the door and slid the bolt to lock it.  
  
"Oh Indy, it's wonderful!" Vadoma said as she took off her veil and gazed around at their small, but luxuriantly opulent surroundings.  
  
The cabin was indeed one of the finest, and most expensive on board. The elegant furnishings bordered on the extravagant, right down to the grandiose little shower room complete with gold plated fittings, and the silk curtains on the window where they could gaze out upon the spectacular scenery of the Nile valley as they journeyed up river.  
  
"Hey, might as well travel in style," Jones said as he unwrapped his turban, withdrew it from his head, and set it down on the large double bed in the center of the cabin, "after what we've been through, we deserve it."  
  
It had escaped the attention of neither of them that the cabin had only the one bed.  
  
After Vadoma finished visually digesting the luxurious cabin her eyes locked with those of Indiana Jones. Unspoken messages passed between them.  
  
"...Yes," she said after a long pause, "yes, we do deserve it."  
  
Vadoma reached up and removed her black 'hijab' head covering. Her dark hair, which had been kept hidden and bound beneath the covering throughout the heat of the day, now very nearly burst forth. Like an entity unto itself that had been suppressed for too long, her beautiful mane of hair now fell, almost wildly, about her head and shoulders.  
  
There were other things that had been suppressed for too long as well, Jones thought, as he watched her remove the head covering and shake her hair free of it.  
  
Vadoma knew it too. She placed the 'hijab' down on the bed next to Jones' turban and her eyes slowly moved up until they once again locked with those of Indiana Jones.  
  
A magnetism that neither of them could resist any longer now drew them together.  
  
Indiana Jones reached out for her and pulled her close to him.  
  
Vadoma's breath came fast as she stared into the eyes of the man for whom she knew she could no longer fight her desires.  
  
Jones moved his lips close to hers.  
  
Vadoma made a half hearted effort to turn aside, "Oh Indy!" she panted, "Oh Indy, I...you know that I want you.....but I...don't want you to fall in love with me only because of my kiss," she said as she closed her eyes and parted her lips.  
  
"You don't have to worry Vadoma," Jones said as he moved his lips even closer to hers, "it's too late for your kiss."  
  
With that Jones pressed his lips against hers with a passionate fury. Vadoma moaned softly, surrendering to her desires at last. She snaked her hands up around Jones' neck, pulling him even closer as she strived to press her own mouth even more tightly on to his.  
  
Lips and tongues touched and tangled in that most intimate dance of passion between man and woman. Vadoma moaned softly as she kept her mouth pressed against his; running her hands through his hair and cradling his face against hers as the strong arms of Indiana Jones held her in a tight embrace and lowered her down to the bed.  
  
The two breathless lovers only broke from their amorous grasp long enough for Jones to reach over and slide the curtains of their cabin window closed; closing out the last rays of orange hued, afternoon sun which broke through the backdrop of the Pyramids of Giza sliding past, far off in the distance.  
  
For the rest of the evening, passion ruled cabin number 11.  
  
Indiana Jones fulfilled Vadoma's womanly desires far more deeply than she could have ever imagined; blissfully stretching her passion and pleasure to their sweet limits and beyond. The gypsy woman gave her beautiful, dark body willingly and at times aggressively, to the rugged archaeologist who had so completely won over her heart.  
  
During brief interludes the lovers held each other tenderly while they talked, laughed, cried, and shared all of their pent up emotions from the nearly week long ordeal of trials that the fates had thrown at them; trials that had tested them, but that had also brought them so closely together.  
  
The stars were bright in the desert sky and the moon had risen high with its silvery reflection shimmering across the surface of the Nile, before two spent bodies, covered in the sweat of their passion, finally fell asleep in each others arms; serenaded by the gentle splashing sounds of the ancient river passing beneath them.  
  
They decided to skip dinner.  
  
Morning on the Nile.  
  
Jones and Vadoma awoke early. They bathed and dressed before seven, and then headed up to the dining cabin on the main deck for breakfast. Jones had dispensed with the Arab dress; no longer feeling a need for it since leaving Cairo. Instead he and Vadoma were dressed in some of the many purchases Jones had made in the European quarter of Alexandria.  
  
Jones wore the same style of khaki shirt and trousers that he always preferred in the desert. Vadoma wore a cool, loose fitting white blouse, ideal for the hot climate, and fashionable, high-waisted slacks with a wide belt to match. Both wore brand new, low topped, leather, desert boots.  
  
Jones had made a few more purchases also, among them a new holster for his Webley, and a bullwhip to replace the one he'd lost in Germany. But these he had left behind for the time being in his suitcase back in the cabin.  
  
Something he didn't leave behind in his cabin however was the Roman map scroll of Grachius Calvertus, which Jones kept close to himself; carefully rolled, tied, and placed inside his shirt.  
  
Vadoma had her hair tied back. There was a certain sparkle in her eye and glow to her skin that any woman would recognize in an instant, as she and Jones emerged up the angled ladder and on to the main deck.  
  
The sight that greeted them was one that is perhaps unique anywhere in the world.  
  
To the east, beyond a small strip of cultivated land that ran right along the river, the brilliant orb of the sun was rising up into a cloudless sky over parched, brown desert that stretched as far as the eye could see. To the west, the sun's warm glow spread itself across miles and miles of irrigated, green fields.  
  
In the center, stretching infinitely into the distance both fore and aft lay the meandering blue ribbon of the mighty Nile River; the lifeline of great empires that lasted for thousands of years and produced some of the world's greatest treasures, monuments, and mysteries.  
  
Brown, Green, Blue; the colors of Egypt.  
  
In the middle of it all, the elegant 'River Goddess' cruised on southward; her gentle wake, and the occasional dhow were the only things to disturb the placid surface of the mighty waterway on this calm and peaceful morning. A pleasantly mild, earthy scent wafted across the deck from the fields to the west as Jones and Vadoma made their way forward towards the Dining cabin.  
  
"Oh Indy, it's such a lovely day, why don't we have breakfast outside," Vadoma said pointing to the covered, outside veranda deck that was an extension of the dining cabin.  
  
"Sure," Jones said as he took a deep breath of the fragrant and clean morning air.  
  
They selected a table at the far end of the veranda; one close enough to the edge so that with just a turn of the head they could gaze down into the waters of the Nile passing by as the 'Goddess' made her way south.  
  
The boat had made good speed throughout the night. Indeed they were nearly one hundred miles up river from Cairo already as Indy and Vadoma sat down to breakfast. Just two hundred miles further and they would reach the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor, and the tombs of the Valley of the Kings.  
  
Jones paused for a moment to gaze forward, southward, and ponder how much further ahead Marcus and Sallah might be on the 'Queen of the Nile'. He cupped his hand to his eyes and squinted into the distance, but there was no sign yet of the other river boat.  
  
They ordered some poached eggs, an assortment of sweet cakes, and fresh squeezed papaya and mango juice for breakfast. As they waited for their food to arrive Indiana Jones placed his reading spectacles on and once again pulled out the Roman scroll. He carefully unrolled it, and began to study it again.  
  
Vadoma observed him for a few moments, "What does it say Indy? Where are the Tablets that everyone wants so desperately to find..." she stared off in the distance for a moment, then turned back to look into Jones' eyes, "....that people are willing to kill for," she added.  
  
Indy took off his glasses as he spoke to her, "The tomb that supposedly holds the Tablets is in the Valley of the Kings," he said, "Calvertus is very specific, and details many markers. It looks like no ordinary tomb. It is well hidden...I'm certain that it's never been found..."  
  
"How can you be so sure?" she asked.  
  
Jones looked at her, "Trust me...I..."  
  
"I know," Vadoma interrupted him in mid sentence and smiled, "I know, you're an archaeologist....you do this kind of ...stuff."  
  
"Yeah well, it looks like it goes very deep," Jones continued, "deeper than any other known tomb in the KV,"  
  
Vadoma threw him a questioning look.  
  
"KV," Jones repeated, "King's Valley."  
  
"Oh," she said.  
  
"Calvertus' text is explicit with regards to the dangers."  
  
"What kind of dangers?" Vadoma asked.  
  
"Booby traps," Jones answered, "It's obvious that if Calvertus was taken down to view the Tablets, that he was guided by someone who knew their way through very well," he paused for a moment, "the place looks like it's a death trap," he said with simple clarity.  
  
As Indiana Jones gazed down at the Roman scroll and pondered the dangers of this tomb, he had an intuitive hunch that he was going to inevitably find himself in it before all this business with Malboury and the Nazis was wrapped up.  
  
He swallowed hard and rolled the scroll back up as their food arrived.  
  
From across on the other side of the veranda deck, a set of eyes watched the every move of Indiana Jones. In fact they had been watching ever since Jones and Vadoma had sat down.  
  
The eyes were cold, and peered out from under the low hanging, oversized brim of a fashionable, woman's Bandino style hat. She was a woman whose days of being considered attractive were long since past, but who nonetheless tried vainly through the use of gaudy make-up and extravagant jewelry to recapture them.  
  
Beside her sat a grey haired, balding, bespectacled man with a robust mustache. He had an unmistakable scholarly look about him that was only accentuated by a pair of pince-nez glasses that dangled by a thin chain around his neck.  
  
They blended in quite easily with the assortment of wealthy Europeans and upscale Egyptians who sat reading newspapers and dining on the first class delicacies produced by the 'River Goddess' well staffed kitchen. And so neither Jones nor Vadoma took any notice.  
  
Neither did they notice the two burly looking gentlemen who sat a few tables over; taking their morning coffee, reading the paper, and lowering it every now and then to peer over with furtive and suspicious glances at the movements of the American archaeologist and his gypsy woman companion.  
  
"What are we going to do Indy?" Vadoma asked after they had begun to eat.  
  
"What do you mean?" Jones returned the question as he broke off a piece of a large, heavy sweet cake and popped it into his mouth.  
  
"I mean after we catch up to this ...Marcus Brody person?"  
  
Jones swallowed his food, and then washed it down with a sip of the delicious fruit juice before answering.  
  
"The first thing I need to do is to tell Marcus about the scroll," He said, "right now he, Sallah, and the MI5 agent still think that it's buried somewhere in the Temple of Isis on Philae Island, and so do the Nazis."  
  
Jones paused to take a forkful of poached eggs.  
  
"Well, what about after that?" Vadoma filled the pause.  
  
"We'll talk to Marcus; explain what happened back in England...explain the whole mess. That's where you'll come in as well. We can explain the whole thing. Marcus will help; he's got connections, and influence."  
  
Indiana Jones paused again to eat some more of his food before continuing on.  
  
"Of course we can't forget the whole reason why we came here," he looked over at her with a serious expression, "to find and rescue Richard Malboury from the Nazis. That, more than anything else will serve to clear everything up for you and me both."  
  
"How do you intend to get Richard away from the Nazis?" She asked the simple but crucial question.  
  
He shrugged, "They've got something that we want," Jones said, and then tapped on his shirt where the scroll lay underneath, "and we've got something that they want."  
  
"Do you think it can be that simple?" She asked.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Well, aren't you worried about the Sun Tablets falling into the hands of the Nazis?"  
  
"Yeah, of course," Jones said, "but are we sure that they even really exist? It wouldn't be the first time that Herr Hitler sent his goons off on a wild goose chase."  
  
"But what if they do exist?" Vadoma pressed him.  
  
He looked out over the broad expanse of the Nile for a moment, and then back at her, "Well then, I guess we'll just have to find them first. Maybe we can find the Tablets first, and then exchange what would then be a worthless scroll for Malboury later."  
  
"I'm not sure you could deceive the Nazis like that," Vadoma said warily.  
  
"Neither do I," Jones said, "but wouldn't it be great?"  
  
The pair dined in silence for a while. Vadoma's questions however had prompted Jones to think more about just what kind of plan he did indeed have in mind once he found Marcus. Just exactly how was he going to get Malboury away from the Nazis anyway? Even Indiana Jones himself knew that he sometimes had a bad habit of making it up as he went along.  
  
"Well, well, if it isn't Doctor Henry...Indiana... Jones?" A gravelly woman's voice with a thick, Russian accent caused both Jones and Vadoma to look up with a start from their breakfast.  
  
Jones momentarily went pale. 


	47. Russians

Chapter 47  
Russians  
  
"My, but isn't the world of Archaeology a small one," the tall, Russian woman said through a pretentious, almost reptilian smile; pronouncing 'world' as 'vordld'.  
  
"Apparently too small Yelena," Jones deadpanned and returned her leer with an affected grin of his own, and a shake of his head.  
  
"May we join you?" Yelena Badonov asked with exaggerated politeness, but had in fact already sat down in one of the unoccupied chairs at Jones and Vadoma's table.  
  
Yelena Badonov, former White Russian Countess, pseudo archaeologist, antiquities smuggler, Soviet agent? ...Jones wasn't too sure what she was at any particular time. He only knew that if history proved correct, she was bad news.  
  
"Sit down Yuri!" The woman nearly shouted at her graying, balding, and scholarly looking companion. She shot him an intimidating glare for the briefest of moments from beneath the wide brim of her Bandino hat, before turning back to Jones and reassuming her saurian smile.  
  
With a subtle, obsequious nod of his head, the Russian archaeologist Yuri Ivanovitch took a seat.  
  
"Hello Yuri," Indiana Jones gave a nod to the man and then spoke up, "Look, we're trying to eat our breakfast here and..."  
  
The woman ignored him as if he wasn't even speaking, and spoke right over his words of protest, "What a pleasant surprise it is to see you again Doctor Jones," she said, "and what a fortunate coincidence it is that you and I seem to have ended up on the same boat traveling up the Nile."  
  
Indiana Jones paused as he considered the woman with a steely expression, then screwed up his face in a sardonic, wry half smile, "Gosh Yelena, the only reason you'd be surprised to see me is because you probably thought I was dead. If you'll recall, the last time you saw me was in that Icelandic fiord where your thugs left me tied up on the beach and waiting for the tide to come in."  
  
"Oh my dear," the woman spoke with an insincere defensiveness, "you must understand, that was all such an unfortunate misunderstanding," then she leaned forward and her voice assumed a tone of righteous indignity which, like everything else about her rang hollow, "you'll be happy to know that I fired all of them after that whole business up there; the whole lot.....bad men they were....yes."  
  
"You seem to have a habit of surrounding yourself with bad men Yelena." She leered even wider at him, "But Doctor Jones, I'm sitting here with you today," she glanced over at Vadoma, "you and your lovely companion."  
  
Yelena ran her eyes up and down Vadoma, sizing her up as one would a piece of equipment, "I'll bet she sure takes the chill out of those cold desert nights," she said with insipid crassness.  
  
Vadoma glared at her.  
  
Indiana Jones rolled his eyes, "Look, like I said before we're trying to eat our breakfast and..."  
  
Yelena once again ignored Jones, "So tell me, what brings you here to Egypt today?" She said, "Perhaps the same thing that brings the German archaeology team...and the others?"  
  
In keeping with the rude interruption to their peaceful breakfast, the wind had seemed to change. It had picked up and now seemed to be blowing in off of the desert to the east, carrying a fine, gritty sand that Indiana Jones could actually feel grinding between his teeth. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a word, Yelena continued.  
  
"It seems that everyone is suddenly so interested in the same thing....these....Sun Tablets...no? ...The Germans, the British, and now the famous American archaeologist Doctor Henry...Indiana... Jones shows up. And all seem to be headed in the same direction. I find this very interesting."  
  
Indiana Jones sat silently for a long moment, and then said, "Well what is it you want me to say Yelena, it seems like you already know everything there is to know anyway."  
  
She leered widely again, displaying cigarette stained teeth beneath the garish red of her lipstick which crept up between the cracks in her wrinkled flesh like water flowing up a dry riverbed, "We Russians, we have our ways don't we."  
  
"I didn't think Premier Stalin cared much for archaeology," Jones said in a detached manner.  
  
"He doesn't," Yelena said, "but you must understand that what interests Herr Hitler...interests Premier Stalin."  
  
"I see," Jones said, continuing to feign disinterest, but wondering inwardly how much this potentially dangerous woman knew.  
  
"...and what interests Premier Stalin...interests me," she added. "Oh come off it Yelena you're no Bolshevik. I happen to know that your own father was an officer in the Czar's Army."  
  
"I am like a tree that bends with the wind Doctor Jones."  
  
"Look, spare me the Zen," Jones said, "what do you know, and what is it you want from me?"  
  
"Well now," the woman's cold eyes lit up, "why don't we start with the first. What do I know?" She paused for effect, and then continued on, "As I said, I know that the Germans are very interested in locating these Sun Tablets, as are the British, and now apparently yourself, it would seem. I know that the Germans have solicited...rather unwillingly...the aid of the noted British Egyptologist Lord Richard Malboury."  
  
She chuckled coldly as she mentioned Malboury's plight.  
  
"Go on," Jones said sternly.  
  
Yelena smiled snake-like, and continued, "Well, it seems that everyone is searching rather madly for a certain scroll that is reputed to contain the instructions to locating the tomb in which these Sun Tablets reside. ...Perhaps, they think, this scroll is buried somewhere in the Temple of Isis? ...On Philae Island?"  
  
Indiana Jones sat in silence. To be perfectly honest he had to admit that he was more than a little shocked at how much this Russian woman knew. But then even as she herself had asserted, the Russians seemed to 'have their ways'.  
  
"Just how do you know so much?" Jones challenged.  
  
"As I said before, We have our ways. We have "  
  
"So what do you want from me?" He demanded.  
  
Yelena paused and made a failed attempt at coyness, a tactic which bordered on the grotesque with the cold hearted, wrinkled, old crone.  
  
"Some answers," she said.  
  
Jones sat silently.  
  
"I've gotten some rather strange reports about you Doctor Jones," Yelena continued, "It seems you've gotten around quite a bit lately."  
  
"I don't know what you are talking about," Jones said nonchalantly. "Well," she leered sardonically, "apparently you made quite a ...splash....in Germany recently. Tsk, tsk, tsk," she clucked her tongue and shook her head as if scolding him, "the SS is not very pleased."  
  
"The SS can go to Hell," Jones said with steely disdain.  
  
"Yes, and apparently you personally made the travel arrangements for several of them recently," Yelena said with grim humor.  
  
Indiana Jones just stared blankly at her.  
  
"But actually I'm far more curious about your recent activities in Italy. I'm very curious to know what you were doing poking around in the ruins of Pompeii."  
  
"I haven't been to Italy in years," Jones said to her, "I don't know what you're talking about; must have been somebody else."  
  
Yelena gave a mirthless chuckle, "Oh but I think it was you Doctor Jones. I find it very interesting that you were digging in the ruins of Pompeii only just a few days ago, and yet today I find you headed up the Nile; perhaps to join up with your British colleagues?" She raised her eyebrows for a moment, "But wait, I almost forgot, the British think that you're working ....for the Nazis, don't they? How truly puzzling."  
  
Jones couldn't help feeling a bit unnerved by the old woman's knowledge of events.  
  
"But what really intrigues me...." Yelena paused for a long moment.  
  
"What?" Indiana Jones finally said, becoming increasingly annoyed with the woman.  
  
"Yes, what really intrigues me is just what exactly that document is that you were studying so intently just a little while ago....the one now tucked underneath your shirt?"  
  
A bead of sweat formed on Indiana Jones' forehead. He'd been incautious, and now he regretted it.  
  
"Once again Yelena, I have no idea what in the Hell you're talking about," he said, "and we'd really like to finish our breakfast. It's been ...interesting talking with you but ...."  
  
"Before you dismiss me so impolitely perhaps you should consider the fact that Yuri and I," she motioned with her head towards her mostly silent companion, "could be of great assistance to you."  
  
"What could I possibly need from you?" Jones asked incredulously.  
  
"As I said, I have I may not know the whole game that you are playing, but I do know that the British want to obtain the release of Richard Malboury...without causing an international incident."  
  
"If there's an international incident it's the Nazis who've caused it. They can't just go around kidnapping eminent scientists and get away with it." Jones said sternly.  
  
Yelena waved her hand dismissively, "Oh really Doctor Jones, don't be so naïve. If any of this ever comes to light you know that the Nazis will just call him a defector to their cause, and then he will conveniently meet his end in some kind of unfortunate....accident."  
  
"Sounds like they're taking lessons from the Russians," Jones quipped.  
  
Yelena threw him a cold look and ignored the comment before speaking again, "I can act as a go-between," she said, "I can help to negotiate the safe release of Malboury."  
  
Jones silently considered the offer, though he strived hard not to betray any interest with his eyes. While he was loath to deal with the woman, he nonetheless wouldn't want to discount anything that might assist with the satisfactory conclusion to the whole business.  
  
"Not that I have any interest, but I'm just curious, what would be in it for you?" Jones asked her.  
  
"Money," she answered without hesitation.  
  
"How much?"  
  
"Enough to make it worth my trouble," she said, and then added, "and I want to know what it was that you dug out of the ruins of Pompeii....what you have beneath your shirt."  
  
The woman's seemingly inhuman intuitiveness gave Jones a chill.  
  
"Like I told you Yelena, I haven't been to Italy in years, and...."  
  
"Yuri and I have been discussing it," Yelena once again interrupted him.  
  
"It doesn't seem like Yuri discusses too much," Jones said.  
  
Yuri looked away while Yelena ignored Jones' comment and kept talking, "Is it possible that this missing scroll, the one that everyone is searching so madly for, has indeed been already found?" She stared directly into Indiana Jones' eyes, "Are you sure Doctor Jones that you don't have something you'd like to show to me and Yuri?"  
  
"Look," Jones said, "the only thing I want to show you and...Yuri right now is the door."  
  
The Russian woman, her archaeologist companion, and then even Jones himself all searched around the outdoor deck for a moment in slight confusion before Jones cleared his throat and spoke again, slightly embarrassed.  
  
"Er, if there was a door, I'd...show... Listen, we just want to finish our breakfast in peace. OK, I'll keep your offer in mind. I have no use for it, but maybe someone I know will."  
  
Yelena and Yuri stood up, "You will come to me. You will need me," the Russian woman said with conviction, "until then, let us enjoy our trip up this magnificent river to the splendid wonders of the New Kingdom, no?....da svyidanya."  
  
"Da svyidanya," Jones waved his hand disparagingly at the pair of Russians as they walked away.  
  
"Indy I don't like her," Vadoma said, "who is she?"  
  
"She's trouble," Jones answered simply, "but forget her, come on, let's go down to the after deck and get some sun."  
  
As Jones and Vadoma got up and departed from the dining deck neither took notice of the two burly men who, as before, carefully studied the movements of the archaeologist and the gypsy woman. If they had, they'd have taken note of the cold, heartless eyes that stared out from beneath the brims of hats pulled low; eyes of men not unaccustomed to killing. And they may have even noticed the bulge of concealed weapons beneath each of the mens' close fitting suits. 


	48. Dead City of the Sun

Chapter 48  
Dead City of the Sun  
  
Indiana Jones and Vadoma Maniskelko spent a good part of the day relaxing on the sun deck and enjoying the idyllic views as the 'Goddess' made her way southward.  
  
Jones did his best to avoid Yelena Badonov, but he continued to think about her offer. It might just be the best way after all to deal with the situation, he thought. It would be preferable to get Malboury back without any violence if possible. Why not just trade the scroll outright? Sure, the Nazis might get the Sun Tablets, but then again they might all die trying; down there deep beneath the floor of the Valley of the Kings. There's a cheery thought.  
  
He decided to wait though, until he could discuss it first with Marcus. Indiana Jones had learned many times over the years the value of consulting with his long time friend and mentor.  
  
The scenery changed little as they steamed serenely along. Both banks of the mighty river were lined with countless 'shadoofs'; men, women and children engaged in the endless process of lifting water from the bountiful river to irrigate their fields.  
  
"It sometimes seems to me that those people spend their entire lives just...bringing water from the river to the fields." Jones said as he observed the tireless efforts of the hardworking 'shadoofs'.  
  
Vadoma gazed out at the toiling Egyptians, "But without their work, there would be no life for them here anyway. The desert would reclaim the land and there would be no green fields," she said.  
  
"Live to work, work to live..." Jones mused wistfully as a 'dahabeah', a large, lateen rigged sailing craft slid closely past the 'Goddess', headed north.  
  
When the pair was not out sunning on the after deck they sipped cool cocktails in the saloon cabin and leafed through the small collection of photo books of the temples and ruins of the Upper Nile kept on a shelf next to the bar for the tourists.  
  
Jones and Vadoma retired after lunch and punctuated the otherwise languid day with a little 'afternoon delight' in cabin number 11. When they emerged later in the day the 'Goddess' was just pulling in to a dock in the ancient, river side city of El Amarna. She would remain for three hours the captain announced, to take on supplies and to give the European tourists a chance to explore the ancient ruins a little bit before continuing up river.  
  
"Come on," Jones said after the boat was tied up, "let's go for a walk."  
  
Twenty minutes later they had finished scaling the trail to the summit of the low lying cliffs which provided the backdrop for the town of El Amarna.  
  
Not taking any chances, Jones wore his .455 Webley, slung on his side in its brand new holster. Tucked into his belt behind his back was the new bullwhip that he'd purchased in Alexandra.  
  
The archaeologist walked up to the edge of the cliff and pointed down, "There it is," he said, "the City of the Sun...Akhetaten."  
  
Vadoma leaned close to the edge of the cliff and followed her eyes to where Jones' finger pointed at a mostly desolate, desert plain adjacent to the date palm studded shoreline of the Nile, and the clusters of mud and brick dwellings of Amarna. A few low lying ruins were scattered haphazardly about the plain, but that was all.  
  
"I see nothing," she said.  
  
"That's just what the Amun priests would want you to see," Jones said rather cryptically.  
  
"What do you mean Indy?"  
  
"Believe it or not, a magnificent city once stood there," the archaeologist said with a curiously somber tone, as the dusty wind tousled locks of brown hair that stuck out from beneath his fedora..  
  
Vadoma said nothing but continued to gaze down on the plain.  
  
Indiana Jones continued, "The city of Akhetaten was founded and built here by the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaton in 1348 BC. Akhetaten means 'Horizon of the Aten'. It was from here that he and his Queen...Nefertiti, ruled over all of Egypt."  
  
Jones stopped and looked into Vadoma's eyes. He reached out and tenderly touched her face with his hand, "do you know what the name Nefertiti means in Egyptian?"  
  
Vadoma gazed at him, "no, what does it mean?"  
  
"It means 'the beautiful one has come'."  
  
Vadoma looked away shyly for a moment and then back down on to the plain below, "But .....there is nothing."  
  
"It was destroyed," Jones said, "After Akhenaton's death his great city was destroyed by the Amun priests. They took it apart block by block, carted the stones up the Nile and used them to glorify their own temple complexes at Thebes."  
  
Indiana Jones took her hand in his, "But let's go down there," he said "I want to show you something."  
  
As they descended back down the path Indiana Jones finally took notice of two burly men who had been walking around within a close distance to him and Vadoma ever since they had left the boat. Trouble was, neither of them appeared to be either the scholarly type, or the tourist type; and those tight fitting suits weren't exactly what Jones would pick for a day poking about in the ruins. Each time Jones turned to look, the two men looked away and feigned interest in the ancient site.  
  
If they were clandestinely tailing him, they weren't doing a very good job of it Jones thought, as he and Vadoma continued on down to the plain below.  
  
A short while later the pair was walking among the low lying ruins. Virtually all that remained of the once fabulous city was now just a series of foundations. But there were a few structures left, and Indiana Jones led Vadoma towards one of them.  
  
The day was growing late and the sun was sinking in the west as they ducked low to enter a stone structure near the edge of the ruins and walked down a few small, stone steps. As soon as they entered they were bathed in an iridescent golden light.  
  
It was a large room with a high ceiling and two decorated pillars in the center. The floor was sand. All four walls, and even the ceiling, were decorated in detailed, bas-relief works of magnificent, Egyptian art. And all was painted a brilliant gold which refracted the afternoon rays of sunlight that entered from several different points, creating the iridescence. There was an earthy, mustiness to the room; an aged scent that gave one the impression that one were actually breathing in the light itself.  
  
"Indy, it's...beautiful," Vadoma said as she walked up to a painted wall carving of the Pharaoh Akhenaton and his Queen Nefertiti riding in a chariot with the holy symbol of the 'Aten' hovering above and showering its rays down upon them.  
  
"What is this place?" She asked.  
  
"It's the tomb of an Aten priest named Meyre," Jones answered.  
  
She walked over to another wall with another carving of the royal family. Again, hovering above them was the ubiquitous 'Aten' symbol.  
  
"There," Jones pointed with his finger at the 'Aten', "there's the reason that we're all here in Egypt right now," he said, "the Aten, symbol of the power of the Sun."  
  
"The Nazis think that it is more than just a symbol," Vadoma said.  
  
"That's right," Jones replied.  
  
"What do you think Indy?"  
  
Jones shrugged, "I don't know...I honestly don't know. But if there are powerful scientific secrets that the ancients inscribed on the Sun Tablets, then I would certainly hate to see them fall into the hands of that maniac in Berlin."  
  
He took a look outside at the waning rays of the sun, "But I think it's time we got back to the boat, it's getting late."  
  
As they walked back towards the town of El Amarna, and the 'River Goddess' docked alongside, Vadoma turned to Jones and caught him by surprise.  
  
"Indy, last night you said something to me."  
  
"Yes?" Jones asked.  
  
"You said that it was too late....too late for my...kiss. What did you mean?" She stopped and turned to him suddenly, "Indiana Jones did you mean that you....love me?  
  
Jones went silent. Uh oh! He swallowed.  
  
"I meant what I said," He tried to defray the question with a bland statement.  
  
"That's not an answer Indiana Jones."  
  
"Look Vadoma I..."  
  
"Why can't you answer Indy?  
  
Jones looked directly into her eyes, "Look, why can't we just let things go where they go?"  
  
"And what does that mean?" she asked, a bit puzzled.  
  
Indiana Jones appeared confused as well, "I don't know Vadoma, I guess I don't know how to put it into words....I..."  
  
"Maybe I can," she said, "maybe you are a man who can only love things that are old and dead...like , and your artifacts, and your dead cities....maybe you can only love your...archaeology, but you can not love those things that are alive and real."  
  
"Archaeology is real, it is alive," Jones said. "Listen Vadoma, maybe I can't be sure about love because I don't know what love is. If love is how I felt about you last night, and still feel about you today, then yes, I guess I love you. But I don't want to make any promises I can't keep, and I don't want to break anyone's heart, and I don't..."  
  
Jones paused, and seemed at a loss for more words.  
  
"And maybe you don't want to have your own heart broken?" Vadoma said softly, and suddenly sympathetically, "...again?"  
  
They walked in silence for a time, and then Vadoma turned to him. Once again she spoke softly, "I'm sorry Indy. I think....I think I understand," she said, "maybe as you said we should just let things go...where they go."  
  
Jones smiled for a brief moment, "Yeah, whatever that means," he said.  
  
She smiled back at him and laid her head against his shoulder as he snaked his arm around her waist; they walked like that all the way back to the boat.  
  
As they got back to their cabin Indiana Jones paused; something troubled him, and tripped his 'sixth sense' intuition. When he reached his hand out and turned the knob to the cabin door it confirmed it.  
  
"Didn't I lock the door when we left?" He quickly asked Vadoma.  
  
Vadoma thought for a moment, "Honestly Indy I can not remember."  
  
Cautiously Jones pushed the door open and placed his hand on his Webley hanging on his side. But the room was empty, and it didn't appear that anything had been disturbed. Indiana Jones however knew better.  
  
"Someone's been in here," he said tersely.  
  
Vadoma looked around, "It doesn't look as if anything is out of place."  
  
"Trust me," Jones said, "someone's been in here."  
  
The archaeologist opened drawers, checked in the bathroom, checked his suitcase, and then under the bed, but nothing seemed amiss.  
  
"Maybe it was the steward," Vadoma ventured, "doesn't he have a key?"  
  
"Or maybe," Jones said as he unbuttoned some of his shirt and withdrew Calvertus' scroll, "they didn't find what they were looking for."  
  
"Perhaps the stress of all that has happened," Vadoma spoke soothingly, "perhaps you are worrying too much Indy."  
  
"Yeah maybe," Jones replied, "but let's just be extra careful," he said as he slid the bolt for the door.  
  
The evening was warm. The boat got underway once again, headed up river. Jones and Vadoma ate a late, moonlit dinner out on the dining deck, and later, the sounds of passion once again echoed off the walls of cabin number 11.  
  
Their second morning on the river dawned identical to the first, except that they were that much further up the river; that much closer to the temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor; but, to Jones dismay, no sign yet of the "Queen of the Nile".  
  
It had also grown significantly hotter as they moved more south towards the equator, and Indiana Jones wiped sweat from his brow as he sipped his morning coffee.  
  
"Why do you drink hot coffee on such a morning as this Indy?" Vadoma asked him, as they sat out on the dining deck.  
  
Jones took a big gulp, made an exaggerated exclamation of satisfaction, and then set the large mug down on the table, "I don't care where you are," he said, "you can't start the day out wrong when you start it out with a good cup of hot coffee."  
  
Yelena Badonov, Yuri Ivanovich, and another younger Russian man approached their table.  
  
"Maybe I spoke too soon," Jones said as he saw them coming.  
  
As usual Yelena was the only one of her party to speak.  
  
"Good Morning Doctor Jones!"  
  
Her raspy, gravelly voice made Indy's skin crawl.  
  
He nodded in the Russians' general direction, "Yelena, Yuri, ..."  
  
Yelena Badonov approached, but this time did not sit down; neither did her two companions.  
  
"So Doctor Jones, today we will arrive in Luxor. Have you given any more consideration to my generous offer?"  
  
Indiana Jones paused strategically. He didn't want her to know that he might be interested, but at the same time he didn't want to drive her away entirely.  
  
"As I told you before Yelena, I'm not involved in the whole business, but I might know someone who is, and who might be interested. I need time."  
  
"You don't have time Doctor Jones. Today we arrive in Luxor, tomorrow we are gone....myself, Yuri, and Vladimir," she motioned with her head towards the younger man, "we don't have time to wait. We have a permit to dig at Edfu. There are treasures out there buried in the sand that await our spade and shovel. We have already made arrangements for diggers; and as you know they are not cheap anymore."  
  
Jones scrutinized the younger man for a moment, but just a cursory look told him that Vladimir was not one of the two men who had followed him and Vadoma at El Amarna the previous day.  
  
"I understand," Jones said, and then paused for a long moment, "I'll know something tonight, but that's the best I can tell you."  
  
Yelena smiled for a moment, then dropped it like a theatrical curtain, "No later than midnight or the deal is off," she said, "when you are ready to talk you can come to my cabin," she then leered rather lewdly, "you know you are always welcome in my cabin Doctor Jones."  
  
Jones felt nauseated for a moment, and felt that he was looking into the face of a crocodile.  
  
"Well Yelena.....you're not welcome in mine. And if you would, next time please lock the door on your way out."  
  
Yelena Badonov wrinkled her already wrinkled, old brow in an expression of genuine confusion. For once, Jones thought, he was seeing something honest in the woman.  
  
She didn't know what he was talking about.  
  
Yelena's reaction to his comment gave Indiana Jones pause. Maybe it wasn't her or her henchmen who'd searched his cabin after all. But then who?  
  
Jones' sudden unease grew as he glanced across to the other side of the dining deck at the pair of burly men in their tight suits sipping their own morning coffees and reading the newspaper; especially when one of them lowered his paper, peered over, and locked his cold eyes with those of Indiana Jones. 


	49. Message in the Sphinx

Chapter 49  
Message in the Sphinx  
  
Jones and Vadoma retired to the after deck following breakfast. They relaxed and enjoyed the sun, and the increasingly spectacular views. Here the banks of the Upper Nile were lined with magnificent high cliffs interspersed here and there with numerous small temples and ruins; sometimes carved into the very faces of the cliffs themselves.  
  
They were now beginning to enter into the very heart of the New Kingdom and its magnificent monuments; Thebes, the seat of power of those great Pharaohs, and of course the Valley of the Kings.  
  
"This is a beautiful place Indy," Vadoma said reflectively, "it's ....magical."  
  
Indiana Jones leaned on the railing and gazed across at the cliffs in the distance as the 'Goddess' negotiated a bend in the river, "Yes," he said, "It's so alive...this part of Egypt...at least for me. Sure in many ways it's almost a...land of the dead, but for me it's all...so alive," Jones then shook his head slightly, "I don't know how to explain it in words. You can't describe archaeology in words I guess.  
  
"You don't have to Indy," Vadoma said with a smile.  
  
"Doctor Jones!" A voice called out to Indy.  
  
Jones turned around as one of the smartly dressed stewards approached him.  
  
"Doctor Jones you had asked me to inform you if the 'Queen of the Nile' came within sight."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"She has been spotted a few miles ahead," the man said.  
  
"Great!" Jones said excitedly, as he fished a couple of bills from his pocket and pressed them into the man's hand, "Thank you Emil."  
  
"Thank you sir," the man smiled as he looked at the money in his hand.  
  
Indiana Jones nearly ran up the ladder to the forward part of the boat, and then out on to one of the bridge wings. He shaded his eyes and peered up ahead in the distance where another large river craft lazily cruised on up the Nile. He stepped inside and spoke with the man at the helm of the 'Goddess'.  
  
"What boat is that up ahead?" He asked the helmsman.  
  
"That is the 'Queen' sir," he answered, "the 'Queen of the Nile'."  
  
"Are we going to pass by her?"  
  
The helmsman smiled, "Oh yes sir, 'Goddess' is far faster than the 'Queen'," he said with pride.  
  
"How close?" Jones asked, "I mean how close by will we go to the 'Queen'?"  
  
The man looked at him for a moment, "You are maybe worried sir? ...worried that we will collide? No need to worry sir, I am the best helmsman on the whole river."  
  
"Oh I don't doubt you," Jones said, "I just...want to be able to wave to a friend as we pass by."  
  
The man smiled again, "Oh, you will be close enough to wave sir."  
  
Jones nodded in satisfaction, "Thank you," he said, and then headed back aft.  
  
Vadoma met him on the relatively deserted dining deck.  
  
"Is it the boat with your friends?" She asked him.  
  
"Yes," Jones answered.  
  
Then Indiana Jones did a curious thing. He reached down, picked up the salt and pepper shakers from off of one of the tables, and slipped them into his trouser pocket.  
  
"Indy, what are you doing?" Vadoma asked, confused by Jones' curious pilferage."  
  
"I've got an idea, come on," he said as he headed below to the cabin.  
  
Once in the cabin Jones withdrew the salt and pepper shakers from his pockets and placed them on the table.  
  
In keeping with the interest of the tourists the shakers were each a small replica of the Sphinx. They were made out of a heavy stone-like material. One was white and one was black, for salt and pepper respectively.  
  
"What ever are you going to do with those Indy?" Vadoma was still confused.  
  
"I need to get a message to Marcus," Jones answered as he searched about the cabin's small desk and located a pen and some paper.  
  
"But what are the shakers for?" she asked.  
  
Jones held up one of the little Sphinx's, "These are my messengers," he said as he tossed the heavy little shaker into the air and caught it with one hand.  
  
Vadoma still wasn't quite clear on Jones' plan as she watched him scrawl out a message on a piece of paper. But then things became obvious when Indiana Jones unscrewed the top to one of the shakers, rolled up his brief message, placed it inside, and screwed the top back on.  
  
"You're going to ...throw that over to the other boat?" she asked.  
  
"That's right," Jones answered as he wrote out another message.  
  
"But how can you be sure to get it to Mr. Brody?"  
  
"This," he held up the second message.  
  
Deliver this shaker to passenger Marcus Brody and no one else, and you will be rewarded with money.  
  
Jones then folded the second message up and secured it tightly to the shaker with twine wrapped around.  
  
"Simple enough?" He said to her.  
  
Vadoma just shrugged, then watched as Jones made out an identical set of messages for the second shaker; one for Marcus inside, and one for the outside, which he again tied on securely with twine.  
  
"Why two?" She asked.  
  
"Because I'm not that confident in my aim," he answered her, "and this makes it twice as likely that I'll get it to him."  
  
"Why don't you just wait until we both dock in Luxor, and then just go on over to his boat?"  
  
"No, I want to meet with Marcus alone. I don't want any trouble from Elliot."  
  
"Who is Elliot?"  
  
"MI5," Jones answered, "British Government. He's traveling with Marcus. I'm still a wanted man in England," he looked over at her, "and you're still a wanted woman. I don't want Elliot to know that we're here unless I have to. It keeps things more simple...for him, and for us."  
  
"I see," Vadoma said, nodding her head in understanding.  
  
A short while later they were back out on the afterdeck, enjoying the view and waiting patiently for the 'Goddess' to overtake the 'Queen'.  
  
It took nearly two hours before their boat closed in on the slower one in front of them. Jones noted with satisfaction that they were overtaking the other boat in a stretch of the river that was a bit narrower than most, putting the two craft closer together than Jones had even hoped that they'd be.  
  
As the two boats converged they each blew their horns in recognition of the other.  
  
The 'Queen' was of a similar design as the 'Goddess', but just a bit larger. Like the 'Goddess', she had a large, two level after deck where passengers could sit in the sun and enjoy their trip up the ancient river. It was towards there that Jones decided he would launch his little sphinx messengers. He selected the best target he could see, a European looking young man standing next to the deck ladder, and launched his first missile.  
  
To Jones dismay the little sphinx fell just inches short, bouncing off the low gunwale of the afterdeck, and into the Nile.  
  
"Damnit!" Jones exclaimed his disappointment as now the 'Queen' began to slide by down the 'Goddess' port side. He knew he had to fire off his next missile or miss his chance altogether.  
  
Jones reared back and let fly. This time his effort met with complete success as the little messenger actually bounced off of the ladder and struck the boy in the head. Curious, the young man stooped down and picked it up off the deck.  
  
"Yes!" Jones exclaimed his satisfaction as the 'Goddess' now completely overtook the slower boat and began to put distance between them.  
  
A few minutes later on board the 'Queen of the Nile' a knock sounded on the door to cabin 17. A distinguished looking English Gentleman with salt and pepper hair, and an engaging smile opened the door.  
  
"Yes?" He said to the young man standing before him.  
  
"Are you Mr. Marcus Brody?"  
  
"Yes, yes I am."  
  
"Then this is for you sir," the boy said as he handed over a heavy, black pepper shaker in the form of a sphinx.  
  
Marcus Brody was at best confused and at worst befuddled, as he stared in bewilderment at the object in his hand.  
  
"What ever are you talking about young man?"  
  
The boy briefly explained, and then showed the message promising a reward. Right away Brody thought he recognized the handwriting, and then when he glanced down again at the salt shaker's screw off top, it clicked. Excitedly he fished out a couple of bills from his wallet and handed them to the boy. He hurriedly locked the door after the unexpected messenger had departed, and then unscrewed the sphinx's top.  
  
Marcus Brody spilled out a generous amount of ground pepper on to the table of his small cabin before the carefully rolled up message dropped out. He quickly unrolled it and began reading. A broad smile formed on his face as he did:  
  
Marcus, meet me after sunset. Temple of Karnak. Obelisk of Thutmose. Tell Elliot nothing. Come alone. Indy 


	50. Rendezvous at Karnak

Chapter 50  
Rendezvous at Karnak  
  
In the gathering twilight of dusk, Marcus Brody entered the spectacular and ancient ruins of the Temple of Karnak from the south.  
  
He first passed through an avenue of sphinxes; two rows of stoic, stone, lion bodied guardians standing more than eight feet tall at their head. Sadly many of them lacked their heads, which they had lost to the destructive looters of centuries past whose gluttonous lust for genuine antiquities ravaged so many of the magnificent temples of Egypt.  
  
At the end of the avenue of sphinxes Marcus passed beneath an enormous stone gate, nearly one hundred feet tall and covered in beautiful bas-relief carvings. At the top of the structure, the nearly fifty foot wide lintel was carved with a magnificent image of Khepri, a scarab beetle with the widespread wings of an eagle beneath.  
  
Passing through another series of stone gates Brody entered the Temple grounds proper. Jumbles of stones lay about where the ravages of time had toppled them. Many of them were enormous blocks that must give one pause to think what advanced engineering techniques allowed the ancient Egyptians to ever construct such magnificent structures; especially since so many others were still in place.  
  
So much of Karnak was indeed still in place; still standing close by to the right bank of the Nile, as if challenging the river itself to a contest of longevity. In all their glory, after more than three thousand years, stone columns, facades, and beautiful detailed carvings still stood; a testament to the wonders of the ancient people who built them, and left such an indelible mark upon human history.  
  
The first of the stars were just beginning to twinkle in the sky as Marcus made his way through the main Temple complex and exited out through the gate where the twin obelisks of Thutmose I, and Queen Hatshepsut stood. The two spire-like stone columns, adorned with their complex series of carvings and cartouches, stood nearly fifty feet tall. Standing straight for millennia, their pointed tops seemed to reach up and pierce the very sky itself.  
  
Upon reaching Jones' designated meeting place, Marcus glanced around, but saw no sign of the archaeologist whom he called his best friend. There were few people around; only a few of the local Arabs. The boat had just only docked at Luxor less than an hour ago. Most of the tourists on board who had any interest in the ruins were no doubt waiting until the morning to explore. Marcus had found it easy to excuse himself from Elliot, telling the agent that he wished to go for a walk and would return in a couple of hours.  
  
Now he stood in the shadows of Thutmose's tall obelisk and waited.  
  
An Arab in full-length white 'aba' and white turban passed by Brody; neither seemed to take much notice of the other. But a half-minute later, when the same Arab once again walked past, this time from a different direction, Brody took notice. Then, a half-minute after that, when the same man approached, this time from yet another direction, Marcus Brody began to become alarmed. For a brief moment he began to wish that he were armed. But the moment was indeed brief because a few seconds later the Arab in the white 'aba' and turban walked up and spoke to him.  
  
"Hello Marcus."  
  
Marcus stared for a moment in the dusky light, and then smiled broadly, "Indy!" He nearly shouted as he reached out for Indiana Jones.  
  
The two good friends embraced for a moment.  
  
"Indy, it's so good to see that you're alright! We were terribly worried about you! But ...where have you been? How did you get to Egypt?"  
  
Jones looked down for a moment, "Well, to quote Robert Frost, I guess you could say I took the path less traveled by," Jones said, and then looked back up, "but that doesn't matter now, I'm here...we're here."  
  
Marcus looked at him, "The gypsy woman?"  
  
"Her name is Vadoma," Jones said, "Yeah, the gypsy woman."  
  
Indiana Jones stared off in the distance at the waters of the Nile River, so close by, and then turned and spoke to Marcus again.  
  
"Listen Marcus, she's not a Nazi," he said, and then raised his voice a little, "and I'm sure as hell not a Nazi. None of what happened was as it seemed. I tried to tell you on the telephone that night in London, but I was unable to," Jones paused to look around for a moment, "now I can."  
  
For the next ten minutes Indiana Jones explained in detail the sequence of events on that fateful New Years Eve that had caused him so much trouble, and caused him to flee England with Vadoma.  
  
"I didn't have any other choice Marcus," Jones said when he was finished.  
  
The two men stood in silence for a few moments. The trails of Jones' white turban blew about haphazardly in the fragrant desert wind that swirled about the ruins; in, out, through, and between the myriad of ancient stone columns and facades.  
  
"Well yes, now I see," Marcus said, "It was lucky for the girl you showed up when you did. It seems like you were in the right place at the right time I suppose." "Or the other way around," Jones added rather darkly.  
  
"But Indy, I'm certain that we can straighten this whole mess out..."  
  
"I'm not turning myself in Marcus," Jones said with determination, "not until I find Malboury. This whole business started with him, and it's not going to finish with him. It's the only way for me and Vadoma," he paused for a moment, "I'm not leaving Egypt without Malboury."  
  
Marcus knew when Indiana Jones had his mind set, and so he said nothing, and only just nodded.  
  
"But there's something else I've got to tell you," Jones said with a slight smile forming on his lips, "Calvertus' scroll...it's not buried on Philae Island like we thought."  
  
"No?" Brody looked at the archaeologist curiously.  
  
"No," Jones said, and then withdrew the scroll from under his clothing, "it's right here."  
  
Marcus Brody stood and stared without speaking for a long moment. Finally he looked at Jones and said, "Where ever did you find it?"  
  
"In the Temple of Isis," Jones answered.  
  
Now Brody looked thoroughly confused, "But I thought you just said that it wasn't on Philae Island."  
  
"The Temple of Isis....in Pompeii." Jones said triumphantly.  
  
Marcus digested what his friend was telling him for a moment and then reached his hand out, "May I see it."  
  
Jones handed him the scroll. Brody unrolled it in the dim light of the encroaching evening. He squinted to try and make out some of its details.  
  
"Yes ....yes," Marcus said with a tinge of excitement rising in his voice, "this is it Indy!" He paused and looked up, "But how ever did you find yourself in Pompeii, and what made you think the scroll would be there?"  
  
"Luck... fate... a hunch." Indiana Jones answered Brody's entire question with three simple words.  
  
Then Jones continued on, "The tomb with the Sun Tablets is in the Valley of the Kings." "The Valley of the Kings...of course," Marcus said, "the burial ground of Royalty, of the elite...that labyrinth of hidden tombs," Marcus then turned to Jones, "How can you be sure the tomb's not been discovered yet? Many have, as you of course know"  
  
"Believe me," Jones said, "once you can read the scroll you'll know. It hasn't been found, and," Jones added, "it goes deep. If that scroll is correct it's got to be one of the deepest tombs ever in the Valley of the Kings."  
  
A lone jackal howled far off in the desert to the east; echoing through the ruins of Karnak with an eerie resonance.  
  
"Well," Marcus said, "there's no need to travel any further up the river now is there. We're here...in Thebes.... and just across the river lies our Valley of the Kings."  
  
"I've got more to tell you Marcus," Jones said.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I ran into an unexpected fellow traveler on the 'Goddess'."  
  
"Oh, and who might that have been?" Marcus asked curiously.  
  
"None other than Yelena Badonov," Jones answered, "she's traveling with Yuri Ivanovitch and a younger man. She approached me with a deal. It's amazing how much she knows about.... about everything that's going on."  
  
"Russians," Marcus said by way of a one-word explanation, "they seem to have their eyes and ears, and their paws everywhere, but please, tell me about this deal."  
  
Indiana Jones carefully explained to Marcus the deal that Yelena Badonov had proposed. When he was finished Marcus spoke again.  
  
"How much money does she want?"  
  
"She didn't specify."  
  
"I see," Marcus said, "well, what you think is best Indy?"  
  
Jones pressed his lips together in a sign of concentration, "Maybe she can broker a deal for Malboury. Maybe we just give up the scroll, we get Malboury back with no trouble," he said, "but that means giving up the Sun Tablets to the Nazis," he paused reflectively, "and I don't know if we can do that."  
  
After a long moment of silent concentration Jones looked directly at his best friend and mentor, "It's a tough call, what do you think Marcus?" Marcus paused, deep in thought for a long moment before speaking, "Well, to be perfectly honest, Agent Elliot and I hadn't really formulated a hard plan yet. We were going to first go to Philae Island, where we understand there is a dig currently proceeding with the German archaeological team. We were going to formulate a plan only after we assessed the situation," he looked over at Indy and held up the scroll, "but of course this changes everything."  
  
"Listen Marcus, I was thinking, why don't we just go ahead and go after the Sun Tablets ourselves," Jones spoke with a certain excitement in his voice, "we can exchange the scroll for Malboury after, when it will be worthless."  
  
"You could be toying with Malboury's life that way," Marcus said cautiously, "the Nazis don't take kindly to being double-crossed."  
  
Indy looked down at the ground, still deep in thought.  
  
"But that doesn't mean it's not a worthy plan of action," Marcus added, "however I will have to speak with Elliot about it, I haven't a choice."  
  
Marcus saw the wary look in Indiana Jones' eyes, "Don't worry Indy, I can discuss the subject without giving any details about you or the girl," he smiled, "Your old friend can be quite clever when he needs to be."  
  
"I understand Sallah is with you," Indy said.  
  
"Yes," Brody said, "the first thing I did upon arrival was to secure the services of Sallah. There's no better man to have by your side in Egypt."  
  
"If we do go after the Tablets we'll probably need diggers," Jones continued on, "maybe not a lot, but some. Sallah can take care of that. But we need to act fast. I've got a hunch that Badonov knows that the scroll has been found already."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I don't know, but I don't trust her."  
  
"That's an understatement," Brody agreed, "but you said she gave you a deadline of midnight tonight for her...deal?"  
  
"That's right," Jones answered.  
  
"You may have to stall her for a bit more time."  
  
"I can do that," Jones said. "Good," Brody said, "I'll ask Sallah to go out to the local villages and secure the services of some diggers. Then I'll talk things over with Elliot, and contact you in the morning."  
  
The two men parted with a handshake. Jones waited in the ruins to give Marcus a head start returning to his boat, and then Jones too headed down to the wharf area where both boats were moored close by to each other.  
  
Even as he approached the river wharf where the 'Goddess' was moored Indiana Jones began to get a premonition; and it wasn't a good one.  
  
The archaeologist hurried up the gangway, headed aft, and down the ladder to the berthing deck below, and then to cabin number 11. As soon as Jones opened the door his premonition was confirmed.  
  
The room was a shambles. There was a sign of a struggle, and worse, there was a note taped to the dresser mirror.  
  
Indiana Jones snatched the note down even as his eyes raced over the words written with a simple lead pencil. He looked up in both shock and anger. But the shock and anger then rapidly changed into an expression of grim determination.  
  
Vadoma had been kidnapped! 


	51. Valley of the Queens

Chapter 51  
Valley of the Queens  
  
Indiana Jones pulled off his white turban and threw it down on to the bed. He then pulled off his long white 'aba' cloak revealing the khakis that he had been wearing underneath; complete with holstered Webley handgun at his side and leather bullwhip tucked into his belt in the back. In fact the only item of clothing missing from the archaeologist's normal field apparel was his worn and beloved fedora. Jones snatched the long time companion from off of the cabin dresser and placed it squarely and resolutely on his head as he strode out the door.  
  
A short while later Indiana Jones walked aboard the 'Queen of the Nile' and sought out the cabin of passenger Marcus Brody.  
  
"Marcus!" Jones called out loudly as he pounded hard on the door to cabin number 17.  
  
A moment later the door opened and Marcus Brody stood staring at his friend with confusion etched on his face.  
  
"Indy? Indy what ever is wrong?" Brody scanned his eyes over Jones for a moment and then cast a furtive glance down the passageway of the riverboat's passenger berthing deck, "Are you sure you should have come here like this? Agent Elliot is...."  
  
"Never mind about Elliot," Jones said, "Vadoma, she's been kidnapped."  
  
"Kidnapped?!" Marcus repeated the word, "by whom?"  
  
"The Russians," Jones answered, "Yelena Badonov, Yuri Ivanovitch, and the other guy."  
  
"I see," said Brody as he cast another look down the passageway, "please Indy come inside."  
  
Jones stepped into the cabin and Marcus slid the lock closed.  
  
"How do you know she's been kidnapped?" Brody asked him.  
  
Indy showed him the pencil written note.  
  
"The cabin was a shambles, there were signs of a struggle," Jones said as Marcus looked over the note.  
  
"They want the scroll Marcus, they know I have it."  
  
"How do they know?"  
  
Jones paused for a moment and looked down at the deck of the cabin, "Yelena suspected it before," he said, then his face darkened, "but now, maybe they....maybe they forced Vadoma to tell them."  
  
Indiana Jones looked up again and Brody could see the expression of concern etched on his best friend's face.  
  
"Marcus where's Sallah?"  
  
"He's gone off to the villages. Remember? As we discussed, he's gone to procure some diggers in case we need them."  
  
"Damn!" Jones said, as he remembered that it was his idea.  
  
A knock sounded on the door.  
  
"Yes? Who is it?" Marcus called out.  
  
"It's me, Agent Elliot," a voice answered from outside in the passageway. "Open up," he spoke loudly.  
  
"He must have seen you Indy," Marcus said with concern.  
  
Jones paused for only a few short moments, "It's too late for any more games now anyway," He said resolutely as he slid the lock and opened the door.  
  
He was greeted by Agent Lawrence Elliot's .45 caliber Browning pistol pointed at his face.  
  
"Hands up Jones!" The MI5 agent said sternly, "and hand over your weapon!"  
  
Indiana Jones studied the man for a moment, "Look Elliot, I've had a few too many guns pointed at me over the past week," he said angrily, "and I'm getting mighty tired of it. So put away yours!"  
  
"Please Lawrence, it's alright," Marcus said calmly, "put away the gun, it's unnecessary. There's nothing to fear from Doctor Jones...believe me...he's on our side."  
  
Elliot looked over at Brody, then shot another suspicious glance at Indiana Jones before he finally, slowly lowered his weapon and replaced it into the shoulder holster inside his jacket.  
  
"Look," Marcus said, "everything can be explained. We need to talk about the whole situation. There have been some ...serious new developments."  
  
"Alright," he threw Marcus a quick look, and then said to Jones, "start explaining."  
  
What followed for the next ten minutes was pretty much a repeat discussion of the one that Jones and Brody had had earlier in the evening at the Temple of Karnak. Jones told the British Government Agent everything, holding back nothing. He finished by telling about Vadoma's abduction by the Russians.  
  
"May I see the scroll?" Elliot said to Jones.  
  
Indy reached inside his shirt and handed Elliot the scroll. The Agent briefly examined it.  
  
"Well of course I don't have the expertise that you gentlemen have with regards to these types of things," the Agent said as he examined the scroll, "but you're certain that it's authentic?"  
  
"Absolutely," Jones answered, "it is detailed instructions to the location of the Sun Tablets."  
  
"So the Germans...digging at Philae Island are...."  
  
"The Germans are digging in the wrong place." Jones completed Elliot's sentence for him.  
  
Elliot looked at him keenly, "You say the tablets are buried in a tomb? ...Where?" He asked.  
  
"It's in the Valley of the Kings," Marcus spoke up to answer, "just across the Nile from here."  
  
Elliot's eyes subtly lit up for a moment, "Well, that's wonderful, that they're so close by," he said with a tone of satisfaction.  
  
Jones looked hard at him, "Yeah well it's not wonderful that Vadoma's been kidnapped."  
  
Elliot returned Jones' hard stare with one of his own, "Yes, yes I suppose not," he said, "but you must understand Doctor Jones that the focus of our mission," he paused and motioned towards Marcus, "...Professor Brody and I... is the safe return of Lord Richard Malboury."  
  
"That's my ultimate goal as well," Jones said, "it's what I came here to Egypt to do. But right now my concern is for Vadoma, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get her back safely."  
  
Elliot set the scroll down on the table, "May I see the note?" He asked Jones.  
  
Indy handed him the ransom note, and then picked up the scroll off of the table, rolled it back up and placed it once again safely inside of his shirt. The action did not go unnoticed by Elliot.  
  
The British agent glanced down and read the note.  
  
"They say that if you want the girl back unharmed you must meet them tomorrow at dawn, at the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, in the Valley of the Queens, and bring them the scroll."  
  
He looked up at Indy and Marcus, "Where is this Valley of the Queens then?"  
  
"Right where one would expect to find it," Marcus answered him, "next to the Valley of the Kings."  
  
"Across the river as well then?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Yes," Indiana Jones said, "the Valley of Queens is just a few miles up river from the Valley of Kings, separated by some hills."  
  
"I see." Elliot said, "But you're not planning to just hand over the scroll to these Russians are you?" He said.  
  
"Not if I can help it," Jones answered.  
  
"Then what exactly is your plan?"  
  
"Right now I don't have one." Jones answered.  
  
Elliot studied Indiana Jones for a long moment before speaking again.  
  
"Look Jones, we've all come here for the same reason, to get Malboury back safely. I think you're the kind of man that I want on my team, and I think that you can help us. That scroll that you're holding is critical to the whole show it seems."  
  
Marcus nodded as Elliot spoke.  
  
Jones looked hard again at the British agent, "Until I get Vadoma released, the only way anyone is going to get this scroll from me is to pry it from my cold, dead hands."  
  
Elliot smiled for the briefest of moments, "No need for that," he said.  
  
After another long pause he spoke again.  
  
"Well then, I guess we need to come up with a plan don't we."  
  
Jones looked over at the agent again, but this time with an expression that conveyed both respect, and thanks.  
  
Early the next morning, Valley of the Queens  
  
Nine hours later, and after a sleepless night, Indiana Jones walked alone from the west bank of the Nile, into the Valley of the Queens. Behind him, the first rays of dawn reflected obliquely off the river's smooth waters, scattering their life giving light and warmth into the sacred valleys of the Kings and Queens of Egypt's golden ages.  
  
The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, and one of the rare female rulers of the Kingdom, loomed in the distance. The temple's precise vertical and horizontal lines were echoed by the rocky desert cliffs, hundreds of feet high, which stood behind it.  
  
Jones walked alone and unarmed, just as he had been instructed to do in the ransom note. His Webley holster hung empty at his side. Inside his shirt he carried only the much coveted Roman papyrus scroll of Grachius Calvertus that he would exchange for Vadoma. He would give up the papyrus for the girl, he thought, but then, if the rest worked according to plan, He, Marcus, and Elliot would leave the Valley of Queens with both Vadoma and the scroll.  
  
As he approached the temple Jones came upon the shed of an archaeological dig; wary, he went closer to investigate. The door to the shed was padlocked, but outside there were a couple of gasoline powered, portable generators and an assortment of tools lying around that indicated recent usage.  
  
"Yelena!?" He called out to the Russian woman who held Vadoma captive, but there was no answer, and he continued on across the desert plain towards Hatshepsut's temple.  
  
The temple consisted of three terraces and two ramps. The first of the ramps led from the floor of the desert up to the main terrace, which in its day was decorated lavishly with frankincense trees and other rare plants. Now only its sand colored stone piers and fluted columns bore mute witness to those past days of splendor.  
  
Indiana Jones ascended the ramp.  
  
"Yelena!" He called out; searching his eyes around in all directions for the Russians, and the gypsy woman that they held captive.  
  
Jones' eyes swept over magnificent stone porticos, colonnades topped with Osirean statues, and facades decorated with bas relief paintings of offerings being set before the god Amun. But there was no sign of anyone.  
  
Indiana Jones felt utterly alone in the stillness of the desert dawn.  
  
"Good Morning Doctor Jones," a gravelly voice called out to him.  
  
Jones spun around to see the reptilian smile of Yelena Badonov grinning at him as she stepped out from behind a column decorated with a carved image of the cow eared goddess Hathor. Next to her stood Vladimir, the young man whom Jones had seen her with on the boat. He held a Kalashnikov automatic rifle leveled at the archaeologist's chest, as well as a dispassionate expression that bespoke his easy willingness to pull the trigger.  
  
"Where is Vadoma?!" Jones demanded.  
  
"Where is the scroll?!" Yelena said, as she dropped her smile with the suddenness of a guillotine.  
  
"Show me the girl first!"  
  
Once again the old crone leered, snake-like.  
  
"Yuri!" She called out.  
  
A moment later, Yuri Ivanovitch stepped out from behind yet another stone column. He nervously held a small handgun pointed at Vadoma, who stood with her hands bound in front of her, and a tight gag tied around her mouth.  
  
"There's no need for that!" Jones shouted angrily, referring to the gag.  
  
"I grew tired of hearing gypsy curses and insults," Yelena said.  
  
Jones couldn't help an inner smile at the mental picture that conjured.  
  
"What's wrong with you Yuri?!" He suddenly said, turning to Ivanovitch, "you used to be an archaeologist. Don't let this woman turn you into a criminal."  
  
"Shut up Jones! And give me the scroll!" Yelena shouted at him, "I am tired of you, and this....gypsy girl. You give me what I want and I will set her free," she paused and smiled again with her wrinkled, leathery, old lips, "I will even let you two lovers live. But if you don't...." She silently completed her sentence with a motion of her head towards the Kalashnikov that Vladimir held.  
  
"What guarantee do I have that you won't just shoot us once I give you the scroll?" Jones asked.  
  
Badonov waved her hand dismissively, "Come now Doctor Jones, you know that's just not my style."  
  
Indiana Jones debated in his mind whether or not he'd stalled long enough for Marcus and Elliot to get into position, then decided that just to be sure he needed a little more time.  
  
"I don't have the scroll with me," he said.  
  
A look of rising anger registered on the ugly face of the old Russian crone. She opened her mouth to speak.  
  
"Relax," Jones pre-empted her words, "it's close by," he motioned with his head towards the desert plain he'd just walked through to reach the temple, "it's buried over there. But you'll never know where unless you release the girl...now! And give us a chance to walk away."  
  
"Jones, you truly try my patience," Yelena said calmly, and then turned to her Russian archaeologist companion, "Yuri, shoot her."  
  
"Wait!" Indiana Jones took a step forward and reached inside his shirt for the scroll, "wait, here it is," he said as he reluctantly held out the papyrus in his hand.  
  
Yelena smiled again, "There, now that's better," she said as she walked over to Jones and snatched the document out of his hand.  
  
She didn't even look at it, but merely handed it right to Ivanovitch. Then she rudely shoved Vadoma towards Indy.  
  
Yuri Ivanovitch put away his small hand gun and examined the scroll.  
  
Vadoma hurried over to where Indiana Jones stood. Jones reached up and untied her gag. Vladimir kept his weapon leveled at both of them.  
  
Yelena studied Yuri with a look of mild impatience as he studied the scroll, "Well, is it authentic?"  
  
"Yes." He said, "This is it. There's no question about it."  
  
"Good." she said with her usual saurian smile, and then turned back to Jones and the girl, "There, you see, that was easy wasn't it?" Indiana Jones said nothing, because an instant later MI5 Agent Lawrence Elliot stepped from behind a fluted column and placed his Browning .45 caliber to the side of Vladimir's head.  
  
"Drop it mate." He said decisively to the Russian goon. A moment later the man's Kalashnikov clattered down on to the stone portico.  
  
At the same time Marcus Brody stepped out and placed the muzzle of Indiana Jones' .455 Webley against the base of Yelena Badonov's skull.  
  
"Why don't you go ahead and give me yours too Yuri," Marcus said to Ivanovitch, who stood paralyzed, still holding the scroll."  
  
"Give it to him Yuri!" Yelena said quickly.  
  
Ivanovitch hurriedly handed over his pistol.  
  
Indiana Jones strode forward and snatched the scroll back out of the Russian archaeologist's hand, "And I'll take this, thank you." He smiled mirthlessly at Yelena, "There that was easy too, wasn't it?"  
  
"Get over against that wall, the three of you!" Agent Elliot shouted harshly at the trio of Russians as he reached into his pocket and handed some pre-cut lengths of rope to Jones and Vadoma, "Tie them up," he instructed.  
  
A few minutes later the three Russians were tied up and sitting on the hard stones of the portico. Marcus returned Indy his Webley which Jones replaced into its new holster.  
  
"Well," Marcus looked at Jones and Elliot, "I guess the question now is what to do with them?"  
  
"We certainly can't leave them out here in this heat," Elliot said, "I suppose we'll have to escort them back to Luxor and turn them over to..."  
  
Elliot stopped in mid sentence, and indeed all heads turned, as Yelena Badonov began a cackling, mocking laugh. Her gravelly voice lent the sound of her laughter a quality that was not unlike that of fingernails scratching on a blackboard.  
  
Elliot stared at her, "Well, it looks like the old bird's gone daft."  
  
"And just what is so funny Yelena?" Jones asked sardonically.  
  
The old woman locked her gaze with Indiana Jones for a moment before speaking, "What was it that you said to me on the boat just a couple of days ago Doctor Jones?" She raised her eyebrows mockingly, "Oh yes, you said that I have a habit of surrounding myself with bad men." The crone paused, and then affected her best crocodilian smile, "sometimes bad men can come in handy," she dropped her smile and suddenly shouted loudly, "Boris! Ivan!"  
  
Jones, Elliot, Marcus, and Vadoma turned as one. Jones and Elliot both reached for their weapons, but they were too late.  
  
Two burly men dressed in tight fitting suits, the same two suspicious men that Jones instantly recognized from the boat, stood before them with a pair of deadly and powerful looking Russian Tommy guns leveled.  
  
"Don't even try it!" One of the men shouted with a thick Russian accent, and a steely look in his cold eyes, "drop your guns on the ground."  
  
Both Indiana Jones and Agent Elliot knew the look of a killer when they saw it, and reluctantly dropped their weapons to the ground.  
  
"There now," Yelena spoke to Indiana Jones with exaggerated sarcasm, "once again it's my turn to say it: there, that was easy wasn't it?" She cackled again, "Now, be a nice young man and come over and untie me."  
  
A few minutes later Indy, Vadoma, Elliot, and Marcus stood against the wall with their hands bound behind their backs. Vladimir guarded them with his Kalashnikov while Yelena and Yuri studied the scroll. The two thugs, Ivan and Boris stood in the hot sun in their impossibly tight fitting suits and seemed to be awaiting instructions.  
  
Finally, Yelena walked over and spoke.  
  
"Well my friends, my apologies, but Yuri, Vladimir and I must leave you now. We have a very significant artifact to go and find," she held up the scroll and smiled, "but don't worry; I leave you in the capable hands of my....bad men here, Boris and Ivan." The evil old woman dropped her smile, "Da svyidanya Doctor Jones," she said. A chillingly cold blooded mask descended on her weather beaten and craggy old face as she turned and walked away.  
  
"Move!" Boris shouted at the four bound captives, accentuating his words with pokes in the back from his Tommy gun.  
  
The two thugs pushed the four of them along. They descended the main ramp of the temple back down on to the desert floor. Jones glanced off in the distance to see a small truck rapidly driving off, out of the Valley of the Queens; no doubt carrying Yelena, Yuri, and Vladimir across to the Valley of the Kings, and the tomb of the Sun Tablets.  
  
Boris and Ivan continued to prod the captives along, and a few minutes later they arrived at the same archaeological shack that Jones had come upon during his approach to the temple earlier.  
  
"On your knees!" Ivan said harshly as Boris fished out a key to the padlock and opened the shed's door.  
  
"Get in!" He pointed with the barrel of his machine gun.  
  
Reluctantly the four prisoners entered the shed.  
  
The door was shut and Boris slid the padlock back into place and locked it.  
  
Inside, the windowless shed was dark, except for a few places here and there where sunlight shone through small cracks between boards. Indiana Jones kicked out at one of the walls to test its resiliency. He was surprised by the sturdiness.  
  
"It might take some work," he said, "but we'll eventually be able to get out."  
  
"Yes, I agree," Elliot said, "but let's just hope we don't suffocate in the interim. It's bloody hot in here."  
  
"Well, let's give ample time for our friends outside to leave eh?" Marcus said, "In the meantime we can work on untying each others bonds."  
  
"Indy I'm frightened," Vadoma said, "I have a bad feeling..."  
  
"Shhhh!" Jones suddenly silenced everyone, "listen."  
  
Outside, on both sides of the shed, a splashing noise could be heard."  
  
"What ever is that?" Marcus said, perplexed for a moment.  
  
Jones sniffed at the air.  
  
"Gasoline!" He nearly shouted with a voice that was as near to panic as Indiana Jones' ever sounded.  
  
"Petrol!" Elliot echoed him using the British word.  
  
Outside the shed, Boris, coming around the left and Ivan, coming around the right, met in the middle and dropped their empty jerry cans to the ground. They each took a step back. Boris struck a match and held it up in the air for a moment.  
  
The two killers grinned at one another in morbid anticipation of the death screams of their helpless victims. 


	52. Valley of the Kings

Chapter 52  
Valley of the Kings  
  
Inside the dark shed panic took hold of Indiana Jones and his three companions. The men shouted and Vadoma screamed as they struggled with their bonds, and kicked, clawed, and hurled themselves at the small building's sturdy walls. But it was to no avail. They were locked securely inside what would be their own funeral pyre.  
  
Outside the shed it was quite a different story as Boris stood holding the lighted match that would seal the fate of those inside. He and Ivan seemed to be savoring the screams of panic and the trembling of the wooden walls as their helpless victims within fought frantically against a gruesome, but inevitable fate. Both of the sadistic killers grinned broadly, and then nodded to one another, indicating that it was time to turn the screams of panic into tortured shrieks of agonizing death.  
  
Boris leaned forward to throw the match, but then Ivan shouted to him, stopping him momentarily.  
  
"Careful Comrade!" He said, and pointed down to where Boris had splashed a good quantity of gasoline on to his own leg while dousing the shed.  
  
Boris looked down at his leg, then back up at Ivan with an appreciative nod. He took one more step back away from the shed just to be sure he didn't catch himself on fire, and then once again leaned forward to throw the match. But then something rudely interrupted his plans.  
  
A lone rifle shot rang out crisply in the desert morning air. It kicked up a clod of sand near to Boris' foot and startled the would-be murderer such that he dropped the match. Both Russians ran for their Tommy guns which they'd left, along with Jones' and Elliot's weapons against a close by rock.  
  
Another shot rang out, and then another before the two men reached their weapons. Ivan picked up his Tommy gun and immediately began to blaze away blindly in the direction from which he thought the shots had come. Boris prepared to give return fire as well, but then suddenly something occurred to him; something bad.  
  
Boris was on fire.  
  
The match had lighted his gasoline soaked pant leg, and now, with incredible speed, flames licked up around his leg and caught his jacket afire. Within seconds his tight fitting suit had become a tight fitting cloak of searing flames.  
  
The Russian stood straight up and shrieked in agony as his flesh was scorched and his entire body began to be consumed by the flames. In a fruitless gesture of panic he began to run, screaming, blindly seeking somewhere or something to put out the fire. Then his run turned into a bizarre dance of death as he twisted and contorted his flaming body while uttering pitiful sounds of anguish that were other than human.  
  
Boris still gripped his Tommy gun as he continued to lose control of his own body to the effects of the flames. He involuntarily stiffened and his finger squeezed the trigger of the weapon which swung around in a crazy arc. A half dozen or more heavy slugs tore through his comrade Ivan's chest, instantly killing him.  
  
Meanwhile, Boris finished his dance of death with a flourish; spinning around in a final, graceful, pyrotechnic pirouette before collapsing onto the hard desert ground.  
  
The whole bizarre sequence of events had taken less than a half minute.  
  
Sallah and two companions, still carrying their Enfield rifles at the ready, emerged from behind the group of rocks they'd used for cover and hurriedly ran down a small hill towards the archaeological shed. Sallah ran hard and fast. While the two Russians were dead, Sallah could see that Boris, still crackling, sizzling, and burning hotly, had collapsed only a few feet from the gasoline doused walls of the shed. Those inside were not out of danger yet.  
  
When he reached the burning body Sallah began to heap sand upon it to put out the last of the flames. Then he ran over to the door of the shed and shouted.  
  
"Marcus! Indy! Worry not my friends; I will soon have you out of there!"  
  
One of the two other Arabs accompanying Sallah located a crow bar amongst the scattering of tools outside the shed and put it to immediate use on the hasp of the door lock. A few minutes later the four former captives stood rubbing their wrists and thanking their rescuers.  
  
"Well, you certainly weren't exaggerating were you Marcus when you said that there's no better man to have with you in Egypt than Sallah," Agent Elliot said with an appreciative nod in the Egyptian digger's direction.  
  
"We owe you our lives Sallah," Marcus said.  
  
"Thank you so much sir," Vadoma added in her soft low voice.  
  
Sallah seemed almost embarrassed by the gratitude.  
  
"Truly having the company of my good friends is payment enough for any small favors my Bedouin cousins and I may have provided," he said.  
  
"How did you know we were out here Sallah? How did you ever track us down?" Indiana Jones asked with extreme curiosity.  
  
"Ah my friend," the Egyptian smiled, "the desert has eyes and ears, and it speaks in a clear voice," he answered cryptically.  
  
Indy knew to take it as enough of an explanation.  
  
"And thank you also to...." Jones hesitated.  
  
"Ah yes," Sallah said, "please allow me to introduce Abdul, and his nephew Rashid; the very best diggers here in the upper reaches of the Nile."  
  
"Thank you," the four spoke almost in unison.  
  
After a brief pause Sallah spoke again, "But what of this dig? I have come with mounts and supplies to delve into the tombs of my ancestors."  
  
"You brought horses?" Jones asked him.  
  
Sallah motioned over towards some low hills, "Just over there," he said, "but we have only six mounts, and there are seven of us."  
  
"She'll ride with me," Indy said, nodding in Vadoma's direction, "but what else have you brought?"  
  
"I have tools, rope, some electric lanterns, flares, torches, water....hopefully all that is needed."  
  
Jones clapped him on the shoulders and smiled, "I know that I can always count on you Sallah."  
  
"So what's next then Jones?" Elliot asked suddenly, "The Russians now have the scroll and are no doubt going about procuring the Sun Tablets even as we speak. Should they find them before we do then we'll really have nothing to bargain with for Malboury will we."  
  
"That's why we need to hurry," Jones said, "and get over to the Valley of the Kings before it's too late. We've got to get to the Tablets before the Russians do."  
  
"Yes," Marcus said, "but they've got the scroll, and they've got a head start on us."  
  
"How will we locate the tomb without the scroll Jones?" Elliot asked him.  
  
Indy looked at him, "I'll find it," he said with a determined voice, "I've been studying that scroll for the better part of a week," he said, then added, "but we're not going to accomplish anything by standing around here talking about it; I suggest we get moving."  
  
Two hours later, Valley of the Kings   
  
Six mounts and seven riders moved cautiously up a jumbled, rocky pathway towards the summit of a low hill. The desert morning was creeping towards desert noon and the rising heat reflected that.  
  
As the party crested the low hill Indiana Jones, in the lead with Vadoma seated behind him, held up his hand, motioning for all to stop. He pulled off his fedora and wiped away the beads of sweat from his forehead.  
  
"There," he said, pointing with his finger into the distance where the forward part of a truck was visible, "they were in such a hurry that they didn't even bother to hide the truck."  
  
"Where is the tomb?" Elliot said, pulling his mount up next to Jones.  
  
Jones gazed around at the surrounding terrain for a moment before answering, "The entrance should be on the other side of those boulders."  
  
"How can you be sure?"  
  
"Well, I wasn't sure," Jones answered, "but the truck confirms it."  
  
"Perhaps we should dismount here and approach on foot," Sallah suggested.  
  
Jones and Elliot nodded and dismounted, followed by the others.  
  
A few minutes later most of the group lay concealed behind a group of large rocks while Jones, Elliot, and Sallah warily approached the Russians' parked truck. After a few moments Indiana Jones signaled for the rest of the group to come down and join them.  
  
The truck was unguarded. Inside they found nothing of interest save one item that for a number of reasons gave Jones cause for concern; a wireless set. Outside something else gave Indiana Jones cause to ponder; a lone set of motorcycle tracks leading east, away from the truck, through the desert and towards the Nile River.  
  
"What do you make of that?" Elliot said; his keen eye also discerning the unexpected tracks.  
  
"I don't know," Jones said, "but we'll have to worry about it later, we've got to get down into the tomb."  
  
The party proceeded around the other side of the boulders that Jones had indicated before. Once again they approached quietly and cautiously. But their caution was once again unnecessary, there was no one there. There was however a freshly dug hole, at the bottom of which a large disc-like stone had been slid to the side.  
  
"The tomb entrance!" Jones spoke quietly but couldn't quite contain all of his natural excitement at having finally arrived at the destination that they had all sought for so long.  
  
"Our Russian friends are no doubt inside," Elliot said.  
  
"Yes," Marcus echoed, "let's proceed with caution."  
  
"Sallah!" Jones shouted to his friend.  
  
But Sallah had already anticipated Indy's request and he and his men began to assemble equipment at the site of the tomb entrance.  
  
The Egyptian gazed down at the recently dug hole "Well, at least the digging's been done for us already."  
  
"Yeah but we don't know what to expect inside," Jones said, "I'd like to have you and one of your men with me, we'll leave the other outside as a guard."  
  
Sallah nodded, "Abdul, he will go in with us, Rashid, he will wait outside."  
  
Then Jones turned to the rest of the group, "the rest of you can wait here...."  
  
Elliot shook his head, "Not on your life Jones, I've come too far to just wait outside. I'm going in with you."  
  
Indy just shrugged and turned to Vadoma, "Wait for me outside..."  
  
"No Indy, I'm going with you too," she spoke forcefully, "I don't feel safe without you."  
  
"But Vadoma listen..."  
  
"No!" She said with clear finality.  
  
Sallah shot Indy a chagrinned expression, "Can't argue with a woman Indy."  
  
"Not this one anyway," Jones mumbled under his breath.  
  
"Alright," he said to her with a sigh, and then turned to Marcus, "Marcus?"  
  
Brody paused for a moment and then smiled, "You know Indy I've got to see it with my own eyes."  
  
Jones looked around at all of them again, "Alright then, I guess we all go," he said, "all except Rashid who'll remain outside as a guard."  
  
The group nodded to each other as Indiana Jones climbed down into the hole and prepared to enter the tomb. He sat down on the lip of the opening where the stone had been moved aside and peered down.  
  
"Pass me one of electric lanterns," Jones said, as Sallah climbed down into the hole with him and handed him the light.  
  
Indy turned his head to gaze back up at the group above him, "It's a long way down," he said after a pause, "last chance to change your mind."  
  
A moment later the archaeologist re-checked the magazine of his Webley, spinning the cylinder, snapping it shut, and then holstering the weapon. Then he disappeared down into the opening.  
  
The entrance to the tomb led into a long, cramped, almost vertical tunnel that had to be negotiated feet first. The group descended with Jones in the lead, followed by Elliot, and then Vadoma, Marcus, and Abdul, with Sallah bringing up the rear.  
  
It was slow going at first and all were sweating profusely in the desert heat as they struggled down through the rocky passageway. But after descending nearly fifty feet into the earth there was a sudden change in temperature. The air grew cooler and rapidly dried the sweat on their foreheads.  
  
After descending nearly one hundred feet into the earth the tunnel finally gave way into a large chamber. One by one the party emerged out of the tunnel and into what could best be described as a cave.  
  
Jones and Sallah shined their electric lanterns around. The cave's rocky walls were completely unadorned and for a brief moment Indy had his doubts that they were in the right place. The only thing that indicated that it had been used by the ancients at all was the presence of a battered, empty mummy case leaning against one wall.  
  
"Doesn't seem to be much to it," Elliot said rather disapprovingly.  
  
"That's what they want you to think," Jones said as he walked over to one of the cavern's walls.  
  
The wall that Jones approached consisted of one enormous, naturally deposited slab of granite. At the foot of the slab was a claustrophobically narrow crawl space.  
  
Jones shined his light down on it, "Follow me," he said as he lay down on the floor of the cave and disappeared once again.  
  
After nearly a full minute of wiggling his way through, Jones emerged on the other side of the crawl space and stood up. He held up his electric lantern and smiled.  
  
Here was an Egyptian tomb!  
  
As Jones shined his lantern around he found himself in a long stone corridor whose walls were covered in intricate, painted relief. Scenes of Royal life decorated nearly every inch on both sides of the passageway. Above, the ceiling was painted in gold.  
  
As the rest of the party emerged one by one from the crawl space into the corridor, each let out an almost audible gasp at the beautifully adorned walls and ceiling.  
  
"Pass me a torch Sallah," Jones said.  
  
Sallah handed Jones the torch. He struck a match and lit it.  
  
"Why the torch Jones?" Agent Elliot asked him, "why not just stick with the electric lanterns?"  
  
Jones turned to him and gave a quick, wry half smile, "Tricks of the trade Elliot," he answered, "first off we want to preserve our batteries as much as possible...never know when we might need 'em. But secondly, and most important," Jones threw him a knowing look, "as long as the torch burns I know we've got enough oxygen....always need that."  
  
Elliot nodded, and then cut his electric lantern off as Sallah and Abdul lit two more torches. The party then proceeded cautiously down the corridor.  
  
About 30 meters along, the passageway ended in a 'T', with passages branching off to both left and right. It was then that Jones heard it...a low moaning. He withdrew his Webley and cautioned all to be silent. The moaning grew louder. Jones handed Vadoma his torch, then he clicked his electric lantern back on and flashed it down the right side corridor.  
  
Lying on the cold hard stones were two bodies. One was still, but the other moved slightly, and was the source of the moaning.  
  
"Yuri!" Jones called out to the Russian archaeologist who lay bleeding from a gunshot wound.  
  
Jones put away his weapon and ran over to the man.  
  
Yuri's breath came in raspy gasps as his life's blood flowed out from two ugly wounds in his chest. He gazed up at Indiana Jones with beseeching eyes.  
  
"Vladimir...," The Russian struggled for breath as he tried to speak, "Vladimir.....traitor."  
  
Jones winced as the man made gurgling sounds that signaled his imminent death.  
  
But Yuri continued to struggle to speak, as if by doing so he was making amends for having taken part in the criminal activities of Yelena Badonov.  
  
"Vladimir....traitor.....Nazi...aaaaaarrrrrgggghhh," Yuri expelled the last breath of his life.  
  
Indiana Jones gazed over at the other body in the passage; that of Yelena Badonov. She lay dead, face down; her crocodilian smile wiped away forever by the Nazi traitor Vladimir.  
  
Like Jones had told her, she had a habit of surrounding herself with bad men.  
  
Indy looked up to see Elliot standing next to him. He too had heard Yuri's last words.  
  
"So our other Russian friend is a Nazi eh?" The MI5 agent said.  
  
"Looks like it," Jones said as he stood up again..  
  
A sudden commotion in the passageway around the corner behind them caused the two men to turn.  
  
Jones could hear shouts and rapid Arabic being spoken. He was surprised to hear that it was Rashid, the guard who had waited outside, who was talking.  
  
Though Indiana Jones spoke and understood a fair amount of Arabic, Rashid's dialect was a bit unfamiliar. However, he caught enough words to be alarmed by what the man was saying. He turned to Sallah now standing next to him along with Elliot, and asked for clarification.  
  
"What is he saying Sallah?  
  
Sallah furrowed his brow in a sign of alarm, "Bad news my friend! The Germans...they are here!" 


	53. Battle in the Realm of the Dead

Chapter 53  
Battle in the Realm of the Dead  
  
"How close?!" Indiana Jones spoke in Arabic to Rashid who now stood before him, out of breath, with chest heaving in and out.  
  
Loud shouts in German coming from down the passageway behind them rendered any answer to his question moot.  
  
The Nazis were already emerging from beneath the crawl space and into the corridor.  
  
"Everyone! Quickly!" Indiana Jones whispered loudly, "Get around the corner! Come on! And put out those torches!"  
  
The archaeologist motioned for all to round the corner of the tomb's richly decorated underground passageway and into the right hand side branch of the 'T' with him. The three torches were put out, leaving the diffused light of the Nazis electric lanterns as the only illumination. Unfortunately this light was becoming brighter and brighter as more and more Nazis emerged from under the crawl space and into the corridor.  
  
Jones turned to Rashid and once again spoke to him in Arabic, "Did they see you?!" He asked anxiously.  
  
"No," Rashid answered.  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"How many are there?" Jones asked hurriedly as he listened warily to the sounds of the Nazis.  
  
"At least twelve, maybe fifteen," the young Arab nodded as he answered, "many, many guns. But there was one...Britisher with them; he is being led at gunpoint, and he holds the map in his hand."  
  
Indiana Jones digested this information for a moment, and then said simply, "Malboury.........the Nazis have the scroll."  
  
Elliot fingered his revolver and re-checked its magazine, ensuring that the weapon was fully loaded, "This is what we came this far to do," the MI5 Agent said with grim determination, "I guess it's time to get our prisoner back."  
  
"Wait!" Jones said, "We can't just shoot it out down here with a heavily armed platoon of SS goons; we're outmanned and outgunned."  
  
"What do you suggest then Jones?" "We should continue on down into the tomb and find a better place to lay a trap for them," Indy said.  
  
"You know how to proceed from here?" Elliot asked warily.  
  
"I hope so," Indy answered, "but there's only one way to go from here anyway.  
  
"I see two ways," Elliot said, pointing down the left hand branch of the passage.  
  
"That's a dead end," Indy said, "....literally."  
  
"Oh," the MI5 Agent said, knowing instinctively to trust the archaeologist on his own turf, so to speak.  
  
The German voices grew louder and more numerous.  
  
"Come on," Indy said to the group as he led the way down the dark passageway to the right.  
  
They proceeded in the same order that they had descended into the tomb, with Jones leading and Sallah bringing up the rear. The branch of the corridor continued on for a considerable distance before eventually making a right angle bend to the left. Indiana Jones thought it safe to cut his electric torch back on since the Nazis were still far behind, and would probably be delayed momentarily anyway as they stumbled on the bodies of Yuri and Yelena.  
  
Shortly after the bend, the tomb passage began to slope downward. The walls were continuously decorated with fine examples of New Kingdom bas relief and the ceiling began to get higher and higher. After descending down nearly fifty meters the passage opened into a wider room. Jones shined his electric torch around.  
  
The group found themselves standing in a sizeable chamber. Before them, the floor of the chamber sloped down into a large, square pool of water that was nearly twenty meters on each side. Across on the other side of the pool was a wall with a beautifully painted scene of a Royal hunt. An Egyptian Prince stood in an open chariot with stretched bow waiting to deliver the death blow to a cornered lion while Royal attendants stood by waiting to sacrifice themselves to the beast should it turn on their master.  
  
Agent Elliot scanned his eyes, and his electric torch around. Seeing no other entrances or exits to the chamber, he turned to Jones again.  
  
"This is it?" He asked perplexed, "This is the end of the tomb? Where then are the Tablets?"  
  
"Let the wheel of the chariot guide you," Indiana Jones answered cryptically.  
  
"What?" Elliot screwed up his face in confusion.  
  
"That's what the scroll says," Jones nodded, and then waded into the pool.  
  
The archaeologist strode forward through the water. As he proceeded, the level of the water eventually reached as high as his waist, but then dropped again as he approached up close to the painted wall mural. There he went straight to the chariot wheel and pushed.  
  
The rest of the group listened to the distinct sound of stone scraping against stone as they watched the chariot wheel recede inwardly from Jones' efforts, and eventually tumble forward.  
  
The archaeologist leaned into the newly created hole and shined his electric torch.  
  
He turned back to the group, "Well, what are you all waiting for?" He said to them as he disappeared through the hole.  
  
They followed Indiana Jones through the opening in the false wall and found themselves standing in yet another corridor. This one though was unadorned, and had natural outcroppings of rock that protruded here and there into the passage. Like the first chamber they'd found themselves in when they descended, this one too looked much like a cave.  
  
"Re-light the torches," Jones ordered once all were through the hole and into the new passage.  
  
The three torches that had been previously lit were quickly burning again, allowing Jones, Elliot, and Sallah to cut their electric torches off.  
  
"What is that sound?" Agent Elliot asked as he cocked his ear.  
  
All of the party fell silent for a moment as they too tried to discern the sound that the MI5 agent heard.  
  
"It sounds like running water," Elliot said.  
  
Jones nodded, "It is," he said, "it's an underground tributary of the Nile. Where do you think the water for that pool came from?"  
  
"It sure sounds like an awful lot of water to be flowing under a desert," Elliot said in a surprised voice.  
  
"Don't forget, we're pretty deep underground," Indiana Jones reminded him.  
  
The party moved on down the cavern like passageway in the flickering light of the torches. About one hundred meters further on it opened into a room that caused all of them, including the experienced archaeologist Indiana Jones, to give out with an involuntary gasp of amazement.  
  
They entered into a huge chamber. The ceiling was at least fifteen meters high, and decorated with images of constellations, as well as a huge painting of the sky goddess 'Nut', stretching her star studded body the entire length across the ceiling from wall to wall. The chamber itself was a perfect square, at least forty meters on each side. Each wall had an opening that beckoned further passages, corridors, and unknown chambers. But the most striking feature of the room was the nine pillars.  
  
Evenly spaced throughout the chamber were nine large pillars reaching from floor to ceiling. Each pillar was a statue of a different God of the Egyptian pantheon. Huge figures of the jackal headed Anubis, falcon headed Horus, Osiris clutching his crook and whip, Taweret with hippopotamus head and lion feet, Isis, and several more Egyptian gods and goddesses stood stoically supporting the high ceiling, and indeed the earth itself which loomed high above this wonderful tomb deep beneath the Valley of the Kings. Upon the base of each statue was a small altar for offerings and sacrifices.  
  
"It's magnificent," Marcus said with awe in his voice.  
  
"Yes," Elliot echoed him, "truly impressive."  
  
"It's beautiful Indy," Vadoma said in a low whisper.  
  
The combined flames of the three torches lit up the enchanting chamber in a brilliant light that threw dancing shadows upon the walls and the towering Gods of ancient Egypt standing mute beside them.  
  
"This is where we'll lay in wait for the Nazis, and spring our trap."  
  
"What trap Jones?" Elliot asked, "And shouldn't we proceed onward to get the Sun Tablets?"  
  
"If we go any further we'll be cornered," Jones said, "this is the only place in the tomb where we'll have any chance of confronting them and getting away."  
  
Jones paused for a moment and then said, "Besides, without the scroll, I don't remember which of the three doors to take," he motioned towards the three openings that led further into the tomb, "we take the wrong one and we're dead; they're laced with booby traps."  
  
"Alright then," Elliot said, "so what of this plan?"  
  
"Yeah," Jones said, "we'd better get it straight," he paused to listen to the sounds of German voices far off in the distance, but getting closer, "and we'd better hurry up."  
  
Indiana Jones motioned for all to gather around. Without mincing his words he quickly explained his idea to surprise the Nazis, get Malboury, and get out of the tomb. Elliot, Marcus, Sallah, and the others all nodded in agreement. The torches were once again extinguished.  
  
Everyone took their places...and waited.  
  
It wasn't a long wait. Within one minute's time the beams of the German archaeology team's electric torches began to pierce the darkness of the chamber as they emerged from the passageway. Just like Indiana Jones and company before, audible gasps of amazement could be heard.  
  
Indeed it was Lord Richard Malboury himself walking in the lead holding the scroll. To the casual observer it might even seem that Malboury was one of them, except for the Nazi with the sternly set jaw and the sub-machine gun who walked closely behind, eyes glued to the British archaeologist.  
  
As the Germans assembled in the chamber, Indiana Jones lay low behind the towering figure of Anubis. Close to the entrance, Sallah, Elliot, Marcus, and Vadoma, each clutching tightly to one of the stout, wooden torch handles, crouched behind the statues of Osiris and Isis. Rashid and Abdul crouched down across from one another behind Hathor and Thoth, ready to do their part in the life or death scenario soon to take place.  
  
The German group paused as Malboury alternately studied the three doors, and the scroll.  
  
"What is the matter!?" SS Major Adolph Krupp, the Nazi Officer in command shouted at Malboury, "Schnell! I don't want to spend any more time in this place than I have to! This is a place for the dead!"  
  
Malboury turned and spoke, "Well I can't bloody well 'schnell' if I don't know which door to take, can I," he said with obvious distaste for the German lout and as much bitter sarcasm as he could muster under the circumstances.  
  
"We take the wrong door and we'll all likely spend the rest of eternity down here you bloody Hun," Malboury mumbled as he continued to study the scroll.  
  
Finally the British archaeologist seemed satisfied that it was the center door, and not the left or right that was the correct one.  
  
"Well?!" The Major Krupp said impatiently when he saw Malboury lower the scroll. Malboury simply pointed ahead, and once again began walking forward.  
  
It was time for Indiana Jones and company to execute their plan.  
  
There wasn't really much to the plan other than to create a little chaos in order to enable them to snatch Malboury and make a run for it. Jones hoped however, that it would be somewhat orchestrated chaos.  
  
It began with a single shot into the air from Elliot's pistol. The sudden, loud report of the .45 caliber hand gun reverberated and echoed off of the chamber walls. The effect was immediate. As one, the German team instinctively crouched down low and all heads turned to look back to where the shot came from; that's when Indiana Jones dove out from his hiding place, grabbed Malboury and ran for cover behind the lion feet of Taweret.  
  
Loud shouts and curses in German were followed by the clattering din of automatic weapons as the Nazis recovered from their initial shock and fired in the direction of the two fleeing archaeologists.  
  
All heads of the German party now turned to look forward. This gave Sallah, Elliot, Marcus, and Vadoma their chance to step out from their places and put their stout wooden torch handles to good use, taking down four of the Nazis in a single stroke before they knew what hit them.  
  
Indiana Jones, pulling Malboury, now ran between the statues of Thoth and Hathor and dove to the left, narrowly avoiding a staccato river of bullets that clattered off of the granite floor of the chamber sending chips of stone flying in all directions. The Nazis ceased firing and gave chase as the confused SS Major screamed out a stream of frantic orders.  
  
This was just as Jones had hoped, because a moment later the half dozen or so pursuing Nazis toppled to the ground in a heap like so many bowling pins; tripping over one another, and the length of rope that Rashid and Abdul held tightly between the two statues.  
  
The few seconds of diversion caused by the trip rope was vital. It gave Indiana Jones the time he needed to execute the next phase of the plan as he handed off Malboury to Sallah, who hurried him back towards the chamber entrance and out. Marcus, Rashid and Abdul followed. Vadoma was supposed to go with them also, but she had no intention of doing so without Indiana Jones. Instead she remained at the entrance way to the chamber, along with Elliot, the rear guard, who crouched with his .45 caliber at the ready.  
  
Now came the last and most deadly phase of the chaotic plan for Indiana Jones: delaying the Nazis while the others escaped, and then trying to get himself the hell out of there alive. The Nazi troopers had now recovered themselves and their weapons from off of the chamber floor and fired in Jones' direction as the archaeologist rolled behind the looming statue of Horus and withdrew his Webley. As they advanced upon him he stuck the gun out and fired three shots, stopping them in their tracks and causing them to dive for cover themselves.  
  
But as he crouched behind the statue, Jones began to realize just what a bad spot he was in. He was in the furthest corner of the chamber away from the entrance....and he was cornered. And then things got even worse as he saw what looked and sounded like a metal can roll across the floor and come to rest next to him.  
  
Indiana Jones looked down to see a potato masher hand grenade snuggled up against his boot.  
  
"You guys don't know, I've got experience with these things," the archaeologist said as he calmly picked up the grenade and tossed it back over from whence it came.  
  
A second later a deafening explosion ripped through the underground chamber. The shock wave that the powerful hand grenade created knocked Jones to his knees and sucked the breath from his lungs. Even Elliot and Vadoma, crouching near to the entrance were knocked over. Echoes and reverberations from the blast drowned out the death screams of several Nazi troopers.  
  
But as Indiana Jones struggled back to his feet, another sound caused him to look up.  
  
With a crisp crack, the pillar of Horus broke itself neatly in two and began to tumble down, followed by the ceiling stones above. Indiana Jones and the Nazis forgot all about each other for a moment as all in the chamber scrambled for cover.  
  
Then, weakened by the shock wave of the explosion, and the collapse of Horus, more pillars began to crack. Hathor's pillar fell, accompanied by huge slabs of stone that rained down into the chamber floor. Anubis followed next, and then Isis. With the immense load above no longer evenly supported, all of the pillars began to crack and crumble in a domino effect, escalating into a maelstrom of destruction.  
  
Indiana Jones ran for the entrance where Elliot and Vadoma stood waiting.  
  
"Indy!" Vadoma screamed out his name with overwhelming relief.  
  
"Come on Jones!" Elliot shouted above the din of falling stone, "I'd say it's time we got the hell out of here!"  
  
With the MI5 Agent's electric torch leading the way, the three ran down the passage, away from the chamber of pillars. Jones wondered for a brief moment if any of the Nazis would make it out of the destruction alive, but then a few seconds later the sound of shouting voices in German gave him his answer; that and the crack of a Luger pistol.  
  
"They're shooting at us!" Vadoma said breathlessly.  
  
Jones was about to say something when a sudden jolt knocked all three of them to their knees. The tremor also knocked down all of the pursuing Nazis.  
  
"What in the hell was that!?" Elliot said, stunned.  
  
"I don't know," Indiana Jones said as he stood back up and helped Vadoma back to her feet, "but I don't think it was anything good".  
  
What they saw next confirmed Jones' statement.  
  
Coming towards them down the passageway from in front was a surge of ankle deep water. The water rushed and swirled around their feet, and then began to climb upwards, towards their knees.  
  
"The tomb...!" Jones shouted "It's flooding!"  
  
"What in the devil happened Jones?!" Elliot said with dismay.  
  
"I don't know! There must have been some kind of a shift in the ground layers....and the underground river!" Jones said, "...from the explosion, and the collapse of the pillars!"  
  
"Well I sure as hell don't want to drown down here!" Elliot shouted, "I suggest we get moving!"  
  
The three of them ran for their very lives to escape the watery death that now encroached upon them. The going became more and more difficult as the water rose up past knees and up to thighs. Behind them, frantic shouts in German told them that the Nazis were still there and also fought against the rising water to try and escape from the strange and terrible fate of drowning deep below the ground of the desert.  
  
A minute later Jones, Elliot and Vadoma reached the false wall, and the hole where Jones had earlier pushed out the chariot wheel; except that now things had changed.  
  
Water gushed out through the hole; water that now reached up to their waists. The three stopped for a moment and just stared at the unexpected sight. Then Jones shouted above the din of the rushing water.  
  
"You go through first Elliot! Then help to pull Vadoma through...then me! Go!"  
  
Elliot wasted no time as he plunged into the hole and fought his way through the force of the rushing water to the other side. He emerged into nearly neck deep water.  
  
Vadoma followed, and with a push from Jones, and a pull from Elliot, she too made it through to the other side. Jones was next, and if he needed any added incentive to push his way through the rush of water it was provided by another crack from the Luger pistol of SS Major Krupp following closely behind. Despite the circumstances the maniacal Nazi seemed hell bent on killing them all.  
  
Once through the hole the three waded through the pool water; now chest deep. After emerging from the pool they found themselves in the relative safety of the upward sloping passage that led back towards the tomb's entrance. It would take quite a long while for the water to climb up through this passage, Jones thought as they began to ascend.  
  
Behind them the remaining Nazis struggled through the rushing water of the chariot wheel hole and plunged into the pool, desperate too to escape a watery death. There were only three who had escaped the destruction of the chamber of pillars; the maniacal Major Krupp, and two Corporals, Krebs, and Mueller. The Major, using his rank to intimidate, forced the other two out of his way in order that he go first.  
  
This trio now found themselves having to swim, rather than wade through the pool as they followed closely behind Jones, Vadoma, and Elliot.  
  
As both parties ran for their lives up the passageway a new and far more violent tremor shook the earth around them. Once again all were knocked down to their knees as the ground beneath their feet trembled and shook. A moment later the sound of a new and more powerful rush of water could be heard.  
  
The three Nazis turned to look. Behind them a wall of water now surged up the passageway and threatened to overtake them. The Major let out a scream.  
  
The tomb was now rapidly filling up and threatened to drown all within minutes.  
  
Jones stood up and pulled Vadoma back to her feet.  
  
"Run!" He shouted, "As fast as you !"  
  
Six people raced against time to get out of the collapsing, flooding deathtrap that the tomb had now become.  
  
Within moments Jones, Vadoma, and Elliot reached the top of the sloping passageway and turned right. Racing past the dead, stiffening bodies of Yelena and Yuri, they turned left and charged headlong for the crawl space ahead that lead out of the tomb.  
  
The rushing water had now risen all the way to the top of the sloping passage and began to flow steadily into the upper reaches of the tomb. Once again it caught up with Jones, Vadoma and Elliot; surging around their ankles as the three dropped to the floor of the corridor and prepared to enter the crawl space that led out.  
  
As before, Elliot went first, followed by Vadoma, and then Jones. Water already began to flow into the low, claustrophobic passage as Jones slid himself under. A moment later the Nazis rounded the corner. Major Krupp took a pot shot at Indiana Jones' feet that missed, just before the archaeologist's boots disappeared under the stone.  
  
A moment later the Nazis arrived at the small opening as the water continued to rise. It didn't take long for the three of them to see plainly that only one at best could hope to make it through before drowning. Major Krupp, perhaps more trained and experienced in ruthlessness than his lower ranking subordinates, didn't even hesitate. With cold calculation he fired a single shot from his Luger into the chest of each unfortunate Corporal, and then slid himself under, holding his pistol out in front.  
  
The Major struggled along, scraping his face and arms bloody, gagging and choking as he gulped mouthfuls of water. He fought desperately against time as the rising water threatened to close off the tiny air space between the water and the top of the tight passage. But as was inevitable, that space finally did cease to exist, and Major Krupp found himself completely under water, and not yet out of the crawl space.  
  
Panic ensued.  
  
The brutal SS man now fought madly to reach the end of the tight tunnel. His craving for air nearly forced him to open wide and suck in a lungful of killing water. But just as he reached the limit of his endurance, his head popped free into the first chamber of the tomb where Jones, Vadoma, and Elliot were preparing to ascend back up through the vertical passage to the safety of the desert floor above.  
  
Still clutching his Luger pistol the SS Major struggled to hold his head above the rising water as he sucked in a lungful of air. Then he prepared to push himself up and out of the tiny, flooded crawl space.  
  
But his foot was caught.  
  
As much as the man struggled he could not free his foot.  
  
He began to panic once again as the water in this, the last chamber of the tomb before the vertical tunnel, began to fill rapidly. The Major's screams of mad panic were choked off by a mouthful of water as his head began to disappear below. Frantically Krupp kicked out at what held him. He was baffled as to what his leg was caught on. It almost felt as if something alive, something living, was clutching on to him.  
  
He was right. It was indeed something living...barely.  
  
Though his life's blood flowed out from the mortal wound in his chest, and his lungs were filling with water, Corporal Mueller held tightly to his death grip on Major Krupp's right leg. He only hoped he could hold out long enough to seal the fate of the treacherous Officer who had sealed his own.  
  
Though Mueller died without knowing, his morbid wish was fulfilled.  
  
Major Krupp could hold out no longer as the water rose above him. He opened his mouth to scream one last time, but his screams were silenced by the rush of water that filled his lungs.  
  
As a last bitter act of his cruel life Krupp thrust his arm up out of the killing water and repeatedly squeezed the trigger of his Luger, blindly firing at his fleeing enemies until the weapon was empty.  
  
Across on the other side of the chamber Elliot had already entered the vertical passage. Vadoma was about to enter as well when the shots from the doomed SS Major's Luger rang out and echoed and ricocheted off of the rocky walls.  
  
Vadoma stumbled and fell forward into Indiana Jones' arms.  
  
"Indy I....I think I've been shot!" She said, with more of an odd curiosity in her voice than pain or shock.  
  
Jones quickly looked down and saw a small amount of blood oozing out of a flesh wound to the gypsy woman's right forearm.  
  
"I think you were nicked!" Jones said to her, "Just stay calm, you'll be alright. But we've got to get out of here now!"  
  
The speed at which the water was filling the chamber now seemed to be accelerating. Elliot reached down to lend a helping hand to Vadoma, and then Jones entered the passage. The ascent was once again one step ahead of the rising water, and Indiana Jones could feel it rising up to the level of his waist even as the three of them reached the lip of the opening and climbed back out on to the desert floor of the Valley of the Kings.  
  
The helping hands of Sallah, Marcus, Abdul, Rashid, and Malboury himself reached out for them to help pull them out.  
  
A moment later water bubbled up out of the tomb entrance and began to trickle and flow along the ground; a new desert spring, born of the folly and violence of men.  
  
Indiana Jones went to Vadoma, who looked a little bit uneasy on her feet.  
  
"Let's have a look at that wound," the archaeologist said gently as he reached out for her wounded forearm.  
  
Vadoma held the injured arm in close to her chest; cradling it in her left hand.  
  
But something was wrong...very wrong.  
  
Why was there so much blood for such a small wound?  
  
And then Jones saw it; the hole in her blouse and the spreading red stain on her chest.  
  
Vadoma staggered and fell forward into Indiana Jones' arms. The archaeologist gently lowered the beautiful gypsy woman to the ground and laid her back up against a large rounded boulder.  
  
"Indy I'm cold," she said weakly, "I'm so very cold....please hold me."  
  
Jones crouched down beside her, took her hand in his and then placed his arms around her. He pressed his hand tightly up against the hole in her chest, but it was to no avail.  
  
The Luger bullet had entered Vadoma's back, and had exited through her chest. Now she was bleeding to death, and there was nothing Indiana Jones or anyone else could do.  
  
Vadoma gazed at Jones through the half closed fluttering lids of her dark eyes; eyes which, though her life was ebbing, still held the fire that had so captivated Indiana Jones ever since the two had first met.  
  
Indy gazed back at her; fighting to keep his feelings of helpless hopelessness from showing through.  
  
"Vadoma....I..."  
  
"Kiss me Indy." She said as she began to struggle for breath, "Please....kiss me one more time."  
  
Jones leaned down, gazed into her pretty eyes for what he knew would be the last time, and then softly pressed his lips against hers.  
  
Vadoma moaned softly, and then breathed out the last breath of her life.  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
Indiana Jones sat beneath the starlight of the clear desert night and watched the fire burn brightly. Sallah had located the dead palm trunks and he, Abdul, and Rashid had chopped them up and carried the wood to the summit of the hilltop separating the Valleys of the Kings and Queens where Jones now sat. They'd helped him to build the pyre, and then had left him alone.  
  
Now Indy sat and watched as the fire consumed the body of the gypsy woman; the woman that he had known for barely more than a week's time, but whom he would never forget for as long as he lived.  
  
Jones forced himself to watch as the flames turned the woman's beautiful flesh into ashes; into the dust from which all flesh is created, and to which all flesh returns. He watched stoically, taking solace from the knowledge that Vadoma's spirit, her Ka, was being released in such a hallowed place of the ancients; into the company of Nefertiti, Hatshepsut, and the many other spirits that inhabited this deceptively lonely desert.  
  
The twenty-sixth year of her life, Jones thought; bad luck...a gypsy curse. It was only a couple of days ago that Vadoma had told Jones of her birth date. It would have been tomorrow, he thought bitterly. She would have finally turned twenty six. They had talked of celebrating late, perhaps in Cairo, or Casablanca, or.....  
  
Deep down Indiana Jones knew that he could never be sure whether or not it was truly a gypsy's curse that had stolen the young woman's life.  
  
But deep down, Indiana Jones knew that it was a Gypsy's Kiss that had stolen his own heart.  
  
The End 


End file.
